Finishing - January February 2022

January/February 2022 

THE PREMIER UK JOURNAL FOR SURFACE TECHNOLOGY 

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ADVANCED 

ENGINEERING 

SHOW 2022 

Following on from the success of the show and 

as a result of the positive feedback, we have 

booked the SEA pavilion for 2022 taking place 

on 2nd and 3rd November at NEC, Birmingham. 

Take a look at the video testimonials from 

exhibitor’s within the SEA pavilion at 

https://www.sea.org.uk/blog/advancedengineering-2021-2/ 

If you wish to join us and exhibit in the SEA 

pavilion, please contact us at info@sea.org.uk 

or on 0121 237 1123. Pods within the pavilion will 

be priced at £1500 for a standard pod and £2000 

for a corner pod (Member rates). 

THE 

POWER 

OF 

MEMBERSHIP 

JOINING THE SEA 

WILL HELP YOU... 

Save money 

Save time 

Keep a step ahead with 

industry updates 

Enhance your reputation 

Gain political clout and 

expertise 

MORE INFO: 

+44 (0)121 237 1123 

www.sea.org.uk 

For further details of how the Surface Engineering Association 

can support you, please contact Michaella Mais on 0121 237 1123 

or email michaella.mais@sea.org.uk 

Visit the members’ directory 

today to find a supplier or 

get help with your surface 

treatment requirements: 

https://www.sea.org.uk/ 

member-directory/

www.finishingmagazine.co.uk CONTENTS 3 

Editor 

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Printed by Stephens & George 

January/February 2022 – Volume 46 Number 1 – ISSN no. 0264 2506 

In this issue... 

Another year, another variant. 

2022 seems to have kicked off like last year and most of the year before that, but it 

does seem there is some respite for most people as the vaccination programme seems 

to have stopped the majority of people becoming seriously ill. 

Business is still suffering as people still need to self isolate and this is having a big 

knock on effect for many industries. Hopefully after we get through the winter months 

we will be in a stronger position and we can start to live normal lives again. 

This issue gives us some in depth news on car colour choices throughout the world, 

with white still the most popular choice. I assume that’s because that’s the only one that 

you don’t have to pay extra for! Also Surface World Live is 

approaching, which is a good opportunity for the industry to get 

together. Hope to see you there! 

News 

Newsdesk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 

Features 

World of colour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 

Colour care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 

Pile of paint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 

Modern moves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 

All members of the SEA 

automatically receive Finishing Magazine 

Growth in powder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 

Plenty of potential . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 

Sustainable design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 

The shape of things to come . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 

All in control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36 

© Copyright Turret Group Ltd 2022 

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the info@turretgroup.com 

Regulars 

Installations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 

Workshop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 

Classified listings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 

Finishing (formerly Finishing Industries) was established in 1947 and incorporates Metal 

Finishing journal, Electroplating & Metal Finishing, The Plant Journal, Surface Coatings, and 

Industrial Finishing & Surface Coatings. Finishing is a member of the Metal Finishing 

Association, a sustaining member of the Institute of Metal Finishing and the UK representative 

of the Groupement International des Revues de Traitements de Surfaces. 

Finishing – January/February 2022

4 NEWS www.finishingmagazine.co.uk 

Competition opens for Platinum Jubilee 

The British Allied Trades 

Federation (BATF), of which The 

Surface Engineering Association 

is a federated association, is 

commissioning a piece of 

silverware, to add to its 

collection, to commemorate Her 

Majesty the Queen's Platinum 

Jubilee in June 2022. 

The BATF, which represents 

around 2,500 members – 

predominantly small businesses 

designing, manufacturing and 

supplying jewellery, silverware 

and giftware – owns an 

unrivalled collection of 

silverware, built up since 1954. It 

was started in order to celebrate 

the traditions of craftsmanship 

for which our industry is 

famous, when technological 

advances threatened the 

continuation of skills passed 

down through generations. 

The Platinum Jubilee 

competition, with the theme 

‘Plant a Tree for the Jubilee’, is 

open to UK-based designers 

and silversmiths, who don’t have 

be a member of a trade 

association. Entries must be 

designed and made in the UK, 

made of sterling silver and 

hallmarked with the Platinum 

Jubilee mark. Winners must 

make, or have the item made, 

and delivered to the BATF by 

5th May 2022. 

BATF president Andrew Hinds, 

comments: “I’m really excited 

about the Federation’s 

competition for silversmiths to 

compete for the honour to 

design a piece to commemorate 

Her Majesty the Queen's 

forthcoming Platinum Jubilee. 

The theme is very timely and I’m 

sure will provide the ideal 

inspiration for the forest of talent 

across our industry to express 

their boundless creativity. I’m 

very jealous of the judges who 

will see all of the entries, but I 

know they’ll have a challenge 

choosing a winner as competition 

will inevitably be very strong.” 

Gemu founder passes away 

GEMÜ has announced that its 

company founder has passed 

away peacefully in his sleep on 

1st December 2021 after a long 

illness. 

The GEMÜ Group mourns 

the loss of Fritz Müller. 

After training to become a 

precision mechanic and 

successfully completing his 

studies at the 

Feintechnikerschule in 

Schwenningen – an institute for 

precision technology – in 1961, 

Fritz Müller's first step in his 

career took him to the testing 

department of Herion Werke KG 

in Stuttgart. Just a few years 

later, the visionary inventor Fritz 

Müller founded GEMÜ. 

In its infancy, the company's 

development focussed on 

questioning the status quo. At a 

time when valves were 

exclusively made of metal, he 

led the way with his idea to 

manufacture valves made of 

plastic – a true paradigm shift 

in the world of valve 

production. Fritz Müller's 

All designs must be submitted 

on A4, either hand drawn, 

painted or CAD drawings 

together with a completed entry 

form and must be received at 

the BATF’s offices by 17th 

February, 4:00pm. 

The competition will be 

judged by an expert panel to 

include members of the 

Federation Board, practising 

silversmiths and Gordon 

Hamme, organiser of British 

Silver Week. The winner will be 

announced 28th February, 

2022. 

As well as becoming part of 

the Federation’s Silver 

Collection, the winning design 

will be shown at the BATF AGM 

in June 2022. The winner will 

also receive a year’s free 

membership of the relevant 

BATF trade association, media 

coverage and £7,500 towards 

design, production and labour 

costs, £4,000 to be given 

upfront. 

success was proof he was right. 

The company's first premises 

opened in Ingelfingen- 

Criesbach in 1965 and this site 

was expanded in a number of 

further steps as GEMÜ 

continued to grow over the 

following years, both nationally 

and internationally. Nowadays, 

the GEMÜ Group employs 

more than 2100 workers around 

the world, around 1200 of 

whom are based in Germany at 

the Criesbach, Waldzimmern 

and Hohenlohe industrial park 

sites. 

With his ideas and energy, 

driven by the desire to change 

the shape of what everyone 

thought they knew, Fritz Müller 

had a huge impact on GEMÜ 

and paved the way for what was 

to come. He was an "old-school" 

boss who took the time to 

personally get to know many of 

his employees. Even when Fritz 

Müller passed his life's work on 

to the next generation in 2013, 

stepping down from operational 

business, he maintained close 

ties to GEMÜ. 

Company of 

the year 

Axalta was recently named the 

2021 Global Commercial 

Vehicle Coatings Company of 

the Year by Frost & Sullivan. The 

annual Best Practices award 

recognises Axalta for developing 

innovative coatings that address 

OEMs' evolving needs in 

designing lighter-weight vehicles 

and exterior components and 

for its leadership in innovation 

and the commercialisation of 

highly efficient coating solutions. 

"Every day, we strive to build 

deeper relationships with our 

customers by listening to their 

needs, understanding their 

business and delivering worldclass 

products and services that 

help them meet cost, quality, 

sustainability and cycle time 

targets," said Joseph Wood, vice 

president, global commercial 

vehicle coatings at Axalta. 

"We're honoured to be 

recognised for our innovation, 

product excellence and 

customer focus." 

As part of its analysis, Frost & 

Sullivan highlighted Axalta's 

Imron and Rival coating 

solutions, which save time and 

energy while improving 

productivity by reducing the 

number of steps in the 

application process. The new 

basecoat products are unique 

because they can be applied 

directly on plastic substrates 

without an adhesion promoter, 

reducing the coating application 

process from the conventional 

three steps to two steps. 

The Imron Elite ColorPlus 

basecoat is a premium basecoat 

system explicitly designed for 

recreational vehicles' new and 

complicated paint schemes. 

ColorPlus uses 30% less material 

and reduces cycle time by 30% 

while still delivering a superior 

finish. Imron 2K high durability 

clearcoat, released in September 

2020 for customers in Europe, 

stands out from its competitors 

in the region. The clearcoat is 

designed to adhere to the 

stringent volatile organic 

compound (VOC) limits 

mandated in European countries 

while retaining its durability and 

gloss after multiple washing 

cycles. 


Futura 

your world 

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their 

dreams, and there are few who dream more than architects 

of tomorrow’s creations. It is for those believers that we’ve 

created our 2022-2025 Futura Collection of powder coatings, 

three exciting new color palettes that remind us of our 

connection to the natural beauty that surrounds us. Inspired 

by more than 20 years of research and trend analysis by our 

color expert teams. 

The collection delivers exceptional superdurability to provide 

the highest levels of gloss retention, color stability and UV 

resistance. And with the backing of a 25-year warranty* and 

Qualicoat Class 2, AAMA2604, GSB Master certifications, Futura 

enables buildings to stand tall as symbols of our past, present 

and future. 

Your imagination starts with our finish 

architectural.interpon.com/futura/ 

* Global 25 year warranty on the coating performance when applied by an Interpon D Approved Applicator.


The BCF has received a leadership award, 

as Finishing found out 

Indestructible award winner 

Indestructible Paint Ltd has been recognised by the Birmingham 

Chamber of Commerce as the winner of its prestigious Longstanding 

Member Award. The presentation was made by Steve Allen, Chair of 

the Birmingham Chamber to Indestructible Paint’s Managing Director, 

Brian Norton, whose company develops and manufactures paint and 

protective coating systems. 

“We are proud to have been recognised in this way as it 

acknowledges our work over many years – particularly in the field of 

research and development in a highly specialist field,” says Brian 

Norton. As examples, he highlights coatings that have been 

developed to resist temperature or optimise conductivity. 

“The Birmingham Chamber of Commerce has supported 

Indestructible Paint since our formation 43 years ago,” he continues. 

“It has always helped our exports by supporting overseas 

communication – in the early days with Telex as well as translations, 

exhibitions at the NEC and library resources. It continues to provide 

assistance in this field as well as training and legislative information.” 

New data model 

On Monday 6 December 2021, the Government announced that it 

will consult on extending the deadlines for UK REACH, and that work 

will take place to develop a new data model that would be workable 

and affordable for business and deliver the levels of data to support 

UK REACH registrations. 

This follows a series of meetings and communications between 

industry and Government and of which the Chemical Business 

Association has been a key participant and contributor. 

In response to the Government’s announcement, CBA’s Chief 

Executive, Tim Doggett said, “This is a common sense, pragmatic way 

forward to solving what is an intractable problem. The original 

intention – to create a mirror image of the data held by the European 

Chemicals Agency for EU REACH – would involve replicating this 

testing data for UK purposes. This would be a massive cost to UK 

industry as well as the likelihood of having to repeat and duplicate 

animal testing.” 

“Industry remains committed to creating a fit-for-purpose regulatory 

regime which adopts the highest contemporary levels of chemical 

safety and environmental protection. We look forward to continuing 

to work with the Government and other stakeholders and to 

contribute further towards the Government’s intention of extending 

the deadlines for the full registration data in order that a new model 

can be considered that would reduce the need for industry to replicate 

existing EU REACH data” 

At the Business of Science Conference in October 2021, British 

Coatings Federation’s Chief Executive, Tom Bowtell, was awarded 

the Public Sector/Charity/Trade Association Leadership Award. This 

award, sponsored by PZ Cussons, celebrates notable leadership and 

significant contributions to the science sector. 

Steve Bennett, who organised the Business of Science Conference 

commented, “The Business of Science Leadership Awards are given 

to highlight significant Leadership across Science, Innovation and 

Business. In the Public Sector/Charity/Trade Association sector, the 

judges were delighted to recognise Tom Bowtell’s work over the last 

18 months in not only leading the British Coatings Federation to 

support its members during the pandemic and the onset of Brexit, 

but in his industry-wide leadership across the UK Coatings and 

Chemical Industries, most notably battling the wider implications of 

UK REACH. Tom’s work in ensuring that the potential costs and 

significant challenges to industry supply chains were communicated, 

recognised and considered has been exemplary, and as a result, the 

judges felt unanimously that Tom would be a very worthy recipient 

of this Award.” 

Tom Bowtell added “I’m honoured to receive this award on behalf 

of the BCF. Our team has done a great job supporting our members 

through challenging times with Brexit and Covid and we have 

successfully punched above our weight as the industry’s public voice 

to Government, NGOs and academia. Now we look forward to 

trying to create proportionate chemical regulations that stimulate 

manufacturing and innovation in the UK, and to drive the 

sustainability agenda for the sector, with a Net Zero pledge by 

2050, and a more immediate goal to see 75% of leftover decorative 

paint reused, recycled, or remanufactured by 2030, compared to a 

derisory 2% today.” 

New dates for SFChina 

Given that there were increasing numbers of COVID-19 cases in some 

regions in P.R. China, as well as taking into account the advices from 

various Government Organizations such as National Health 

Commission, the Organizers announced on November 8, 2021 that 

the 34th edition of SFCHINA, originally scheduled to be held on 

November 16-18, 2021, has been postponed to March 2-4, 2022 at the 

original venue, Hall E1 of Shanghai New International Expo Centre. 


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Angus Mackie - QUALICOAT UK & Ireland Chair says you 

must ‘choose wiseley’ 

Golden years 

Clariant pays an advance tribute to the year to come in its new 

Decorative Coatings Trends for 2022 – “golden”. Consumers are 

invited to take inspiration for decorating their rooms, spaces and 

furniture from the palette’s 40 new shades that reflect 4 different 

phases of natural human behaviors in the new world in which we live. 

“Now close to the end of another slowed-down year, we’re really 

craving what comes next, for the chance to move forward and reexperience 

life following the intense focus on our behaviors, lifestyles 

and desires,” comments Franziska Hammerl, segment head decorative 

and wood coatings, global technical marketing coatings at Clariant. 

In phase 1, “memotions”, a rather calm color selection with some 

poppy color accents represents a coming back to life of sorts, where 

we’re re-orienting ourselves, considering our recent pasts to plan our 

futures. This palette includes Color of the Year “memory gold”, an 

antique gold tone with just the right touch of luxury, inspiring us to 

create new memories distinct from the past. The shade was formulated 

with Clariant pigment preparations and was mixed with 

SHINEDECOR C393, a brand new ready-to-use gold pearlescent 

effect pigment concentrate for waterborne paints from Clariant’s 

styling partner, Eckart, to achieve the final antique and sparkling 

golden tone. 

White paper launched 

Powder coatings are essential to 

the future evolution of Electric 

Vehicles (EVs), protecting 

batteries and associated 

components from overheating 

and insulating them against 

other threats that can reduce 

performance and increase risk. 

And powder coatings are 

doing more than just helping to 

prevent thermal runaways and 

the risk of battery failure in 

modern EVs. They are also 

supporting EV Original 

Equipment Manufacturers 

(OEMs) and tiers in creating a 

more sustainable manufacturing 

process, and compliance with 

stringent international 

environmental regulations and 

directives. 

These are two of the many 

themes explored in a new White 

Paper from AkzoNobel Powder 

Coatings entitled: ‘The critical 

importance of powder coatings 

in driving an electric future’. 

The White Paper shows how 

powder coatings help protect a 

vehicle’s cooling systems by 

electrically insulating and 

protecting its components, 

keeping the battery within its 

optimal temperature range. 

It also reveals how powder 

coatings support the longer-term 

performance of the battery by 

protecting it against corrosion 

and other threats, and how they 

protect the wider electric 

ecosystem of the vehicle – its 

cooling plates and tubes, stator 

hairpins, bus bars, battery cell 

and housing – many of which 

have long-term heat resistance 

requirements 

There are many powder coaters in the UK who can offer to powder 

coat virtually anything from outdoor street furniture to small 

engineering parts for a wide range of applications. These companies 

offer flexible coating and curing oven arrangements to meet a wide 

range of items that require finishing. Powder coating is becoming 

the finish of choice for many manufacturers as an alternative to 

volatile solvent based paints. Powder based coating is kinder to the 

environment, producing less harmful waste. 

Products that are powder coated for internal use such as white 

goods, furniture and electronic products, will last a lifetime once 

coated. Products that are exposed to outdoor weathering require 

additional consideration. 

Two standards in the UK relate to powder coating onto steel 

products, these are: ‘BS EN 13438:2013 Paints and varnishes - 

powder organic coatings for hot dip galvanised or sherardised steel 

products for construction purposes and ‘EN 15773:2018 industrial 

application of powder organic coatings to hot dip galvanised or 

sherardised steel articles [duplex systems] - Specifications, 

recommendations and guidelines’. 

For powder coating onto aluminium, a different standard needs to 

be specified: ’EN 12206 1:2021 Paints and varnishes. Coating of 

aluminium and aluminium alloys for architectural purposes - 

Coatings prepared from thermosetting coating powder’. Whilst 

powder coating onto a galvanised steel substrate requires minimal 

pretreatment prior to powder application, aluminium requires a 

comprehensive pretreatment system to be applied. Powder coating 

for architectural purposes is normally applied to aluminium extrusion 

and sheet aluminium but can also be applied to aluminium castings. 

An unfinished aluminium surface naturally oxidises and this oxide 

forms a protective layer against further corrosion. As powder coating 

is porous, any application of powder coating onto unfinished 

aluminium, which is exposed to the weather, will eventually begin to 

oxidise under the powder coating and as a result, over a period of 

time, the coating will lose it’s adherence to the aluminium. This will 

often be experienced as flaking of the complete coating revealing 

the aluminium underneath. 

Whilst the thickness and quality of the powder coat application is 

important for a good life expectancy, a poor pretreatment of the 

aluminium will result in failure over time. 

There are basically three recognised systems of pretreatment of 

aluminium, chrome based systems, chrome-free systems and a preanodisation 

process. Each of these systems involves an extensive 

investment in either wet dip immersion tanks or various spray 

booths where the process of cleaning, rinsing, etching, rinsing, 

pretreatment, rinsing and drying of the aluminium can take place. 

Once applied correctly, the pretreatment offers a complete seal of 

the aluminium surface and an important ‘key’ for the powder to 

adhere too. 

Whilst a specifier can request coating to EN 12206 1:2021 and 

see the facility in the process being used correctly and in accordance 

with the standard? The problem is, architectural aluminium 

incorrectly coated can offer good adhesion for a few years before 

the coating begins to show failure. It is then often difficult to 

determine the absence of a quality pretreatment system and often 

very expensive to rectify. 


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enquiries@wagner-group.com

10 AUTOMOTIVE PAINT 

World of colour 

In 2021, the automotive industry faced new 

challenges that it had never faced before. 

The total number of vehicles built on the 

world’s assembly lines in 2020 and 2021 was 

significantly lower than the years before. That 

put a sharper point on the popularity of 

certain color spaces in the BASF Color Report 

2021 for Automotive OEM Coatings, while 

knocking some perennial favorites down a few 

points. 

The achromatic colors – white, black, gray, 

and silver – are still the most popular. They 

have classic, timeless beauty, and a connection 

to both the environment and high technology. 

But some cracks are showing in their armor as 

new color spaces emerge. 

As predicted by BASF’s designers years 

ago, blue is having a moment in the sun. Red 

is also rising – taking market share from the 

achromatic colors in many parts of the world. 

Even though the numbers are smaller, green 

and beige still show up in the data, and the 

colors aren’t the typical shades you might 

expect. 

EMEA – Greater diversity of 

chromatic colors and shades 

The share of chromatic colors in Europe, 

the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) is now 

over 27% and rising – the highest it’s been in 

two decades. 

Blue is driving the trend among the 

Finishing - January/February 2022

AUTOMOTIVE PAINT 11 

chromatics. There are currently nearly 180 

shades of blue from sky blue to midnight blue 

that are elegant, fresh, and young, and appear 

on all body types in all segments. Red is in 

second place, far behind blue, accompanied 

by a fair share of shades of green. 

For the achromatic colors, white is still the 

most popular, but gray is catching up. Gray 

has several options, with effects and textures 

that multiply its presence. Gray’s 160 shades 

range from elegant, dark, sparkling colors to 

light and sporty solid colors. 

“Colors designed for EMEA use familiar 

color positions, but change them with the help 

of new effects, subtle color gradients, or a 

specific sparkle behavior. They make the 

chromatics stand out as bold expressions of 

individuality and sportiness, gaining popularity 

each year,” said Mark Gutjahr, head of 

Automotive Color Design, EMEA. 

Asia Pacific – Leading the way in 

global color diversity 

White may still be the most popular color in 

Asia Pacific (AP), but its popularity is starting to 

slip. Black and gray continue to improve, 

maintaining a four-year trend that is changing 

the presence of white vehicles on the road. A 

full 79% of new vehicles produced in AP were 

coated with achromatic colors in 2021. 

The popularity of chromatic colors is stable, 

with some individual color spaces adjusting a 

few points up or down. Blue – the number 

one chromatic color – is up, mirroring global 

data from other regions. It took some share 

from red, which went down. Brown and gold 

show up in substantial numbers, while beige, 

orange, yellow, green and violet hang on with 

about 1% each. 

“AP has the largest volume of automotive 

production in the world, and reflects the 

highest diversity of color, compared to other 

regions,” said Chiharu Matsuhara, head of 

Automotive Design for AP. “Along with the 

surge in blue, the family of green colors 

increased. From teal to khaki to olive, these 

aren’t the usual greens, especially in SUVs.” 

North America – Color 

preferences changing rapidly in 

the Americas 

Blue appears to be moving on for North 

America. Its share is down 4% when 

compared to last year. That would put the 

preference for blue back to 2017 levels. 

Achromatic colors surged, including white, 

which increased in North America while 

declining globally, but not silver or gray, which 

are both down. Among the chromatic colors, 

red edged up 1%. Red and blue are now tied 

as the most popular chromatic colors. 

Raw material shortages in 2021 forced 

automakers to make difficult choices while 

allocating scarce resources. That seemed to 

favor the larger, more popular platforms in the 

midst of the downturn. 

“North America appears to change direction 

more quickly. With demand high and supply 

trending lower, buyers could be forced into 

making more pragmatic choices and fewer 

emotional choices. Consumers have quickly 

shifted to more familiar shades in the 

achromatic space,” said Paul Czornij, head of 

Automotive Design for the Americas. 

South America – Following the 

global direction 

Blue is enjoying a global surge in popularity. 

In South America, blue increased by 3% in 

2021, taking some of that market share from 

red. While car buyers in the region tend to be 

more conservative, some new shades are 

catching buyers’ eyes. 

Automotive designers often look 3-4 model 

years ahead when developing colors. This is 

playing out as predicted, as South America 

tends to be slower to adopt color direction 

than other regions. 

“With an increase that large, blue is really 

establishing itself in South America. From sky 

blue to dark blue, more car buyers are 

moving into this color family. We’re using 

some beautiful effects and pigments, especially 

metallics, that advance this important design 

space,” said Marcos Fernandes, Director BASF 

Coatings, South America. 

The BASF Color Report for Automotive 

OEM Coatings is a data analysis from BASF's 

Coatings division based on global automotive 

production and paint application to light 

vehicles in 2021. 


12 COLOUR 

Colour care 

The evolution of eCommerce has been 

rapid and enables levels of customer 

experience we could only dream about 

even 5 years ago. Customers expect more 

flexibility, more reliability, more transparency, 

and more speed. B2B customers are 

increasingly evaluating suppliers, not just 

based on product performance and 

sustainability, but also on their reliability, and 

customer experience. 

David Howes is head of digital 

commercial and explains how Clariant BU 

Pigment’s Colorants Webshop helps create a 

better customer experience, and in 

particular, how a customer portal is key to 

offering more transparency and better 

service to customers. 

Many companies now offer a webshop, 

so why is the Colorants Webshop 

different? 

In many ways our webshop is the same as 

other B2B webshops. It supports product 

search, sample request, order confirmation 

and safety data sheet download. However, by 

integrating systems used by our customer 

service teams, we can create a true customer 

portal providing more real time information. 

For example, a personalized product 

catalogue, faster reordering, real time order 

changes, delivery updates, as well as 

regulatory, safety and technical documents 

relevant to each customer. It is a win-win for 

our customers who can make better 

decisions, but also our customer-facing teams 

who can offer more proactive customer 

service supporting a better customer 

experience. 

How does the Colorants Webshop help 

create a better customer experience? 

We set ourselves the challenge to offer a 

‘one click’ experience to make the webshop as 

easy to use as possible. With this in mind, we 


COLOUR 13 

designed a homepage with frequently used 

functions and most important information 

together in one customer view. Friction is 

frustrating, but it also increases hidden costs 

linked to delay. Whilst we are not there yet, we 

aspire to make our customers experience as 

frictionless as possible. 

The proof of the pudding is in the 

eating. How do you know that 

customers like using the Colorants 

Webshop? 

There are two parts to a successful 

customer portal. Making it fast and easy to 

use, but importantly, ensuring the 

information provided is useful for daily 

business. We ask every new user to give us 

feedback 6-8 weeks after 1st login. We also 

display a customer thermometer on the 

homepage which customers can use anytime 

to give us feedback. So far, the results have 

been encouraging. 82% of users recommend 

the Colorants Webshop and see it as a value 

adding service. When a customer uses it to 

order, it does speed up order processing, but 

it is completely optional. The main benefit 

continues to be accessing relevant 

information, all in one place. 

In the last decade, online marketplaces 

have grown exponentially, as have the 

products and services being offered. 

Why not just invest in B2B 

marketplaces? 

We do use B2B marketplaces where it 

matches our needs, especially for customers 

with less demand for pigments, and to 

promote our color solutions in new markets. 

For this reason, we encourage our 

distributors to engage online, either through 

their own customer portal, or through a B2B 

marketplace. Part of our digital strategy is to 

be more reliable through effective use of 

technology and data. From effective sampling 

and selection of our color solutions through 

to efficient delivery and integrated customer 

service. Something we cannot yet do through 

a B2B marketplace, and why we continue to 

invest in our customer portal. 

It sounds like you have overcome 

many challenges. What can we learn 

from Clariant BU Pigments’ 

eCommerce journey? 

We now have customers on the platform 

from every region we do business in. The 

biggest challenge we faced was harmonizing 

the way we work across these regions to 

automate and provide real time information 

that customers can trust. By rolling out 

region by region, it allowed us to better 

understand cultural and regulatory needs. For 

example, the need for eSignatures in certain 

countries, or translating into more languages 

to make it easier for customers to use. As a 

result, the Colorants Webshop is now 

available in Chinese, English, French, 

German, Portuguese, and Spanish. Rolling 

out gradually has allowed our teams to 

support personalized onboarding. Perhaps 

another reason why 82% of users 

recommend the Colorants Webshop. 

What advice would you give your 

customers or distributors who want to 

create their own webshop? 

Be curious, and appreciative when 

customers and customer service teams take 

the time to give feedback. Some of it is 

common sense, like being more reliable, 

offering self-service, and generally being 

more proactive. With advances in technology, 

this is now possible, but at the core is 

listening to customers, and customer service 

teams who suggested new features which 

otherwise would not have been added. I 

would personally like to thank everyone who 

has helped us so far on our digital journey 

together. 

What is Clariant BU Pigments planning 

next for the Colorants Webshop? 

Last month we added the shelf life of our 

products and announced a new certified 

range of compostable colorants to support 

biodegradable packaging. Next month we 

aim to show a real time overview of price 

changes in a new price book. In 2022, we 

aim to further personalize the customer 

experience by adding new features, such as 

notifications if a delivery is delayed, online 

technical support, and communicating more 

innovation through the webshop. The more 

feedback we receive, the more we improve, 

and why we encourage all our customers to 

register for the Colorants Webshop. To help 

us offer a better customer experience. 

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14 PAINT RECYCLING 

Piles of paint 

Households across the UK are stockpiling 

enough paint to coat the Forth Rail 

Bridge 212 times, posing major 

sustainability and environmental issues, as 

revealed by new research from the Royal 

Society of Chemistry. 

Despite spoiling in a matter of months if 

stored incorrectly, 73% of UK adults have 

admitted to stashing away pots of unused or 

partially used decorating paint - 43% of which 

is more than three years old. 

But what many may not know is paint 

contains hidden chemicals called polymers in 

liquid formulations (PLFs). These are often 

made from fossil sources and are important 

ingredients needed to help paint stick to walls. 

Despite containing huge quantities of these 

specialist ingredients created using nonrenewable 

resources, nearly all (98%) of the 

UK’s waste paint is either burnt or sent to 

landfill. 

Indeed, only just over a quarter (27%) of 

UK adults said they have recycled paint they 

no longer need and 67% don’t know if their 

local recycling facility will allow them to 

recycle decorating paint. However, 82% of 

those surveyed said they probably would use 

a recycling facility if they had confidence 

leftover paint could be recycled. 

To help combat this issue, the Royal Society 

of Chemistry, which has convened a task force 

to make paint more sustainable, is calling for 

UK governments to provide better support to 

local reuse and recycling initiatives, while the 

companies behind paint brands Dulux, Farrow 

and Ball, Johnstone’s Paints and Ronseal are 

calling for government engagement with the 

British Coatings Federation’s PaintCare 

blueprint for a national remanufacturing 

programme. 

Professor Tom Welton, President of the 

Royal Society of Chemistry, said: “We have 

found that most households have tins of paint 

languishing in cupboards, sheds and garages 

– and that while consumers want to be able 

to recycle, they face a postcode lottery, 

making it unnecessarily difficult to do the right 

thing. All this paint contains huge quantities of 

valuable polymers in liquid formulations to 

help it stick to your walls. It’s unsustainable to 

waste such a commodity, and we’re risking 

environmental damage through not re-using 

and recycling, so we’re urging consumers to 

write to their MPs to help highlight this issue. 

“Our research shows we are currently 

producing enough of these polymers to fill 

Wembley stadium 32 times every year and 

we are only just beginning to understand 

where they go after being used. Industry 

giants are supporting both the BCF’s 

PaintCare scheme to make paint more 

sustainable, and our task force to make 

polymers more sustainable across eight 

sectors – but we need government to engage 

with us, provide better support to circular 

economy initiatives and invest in a sustainable 

future for the UK.” 

Finishing - January/February 2022 

continues on page 16

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16 PAINT RECYCLING 

The BCF framework is predicted to increase 

the percentage of leftover paint re-used, 

recycled, or re-manufactured from 2% today 

to 75% by 2030 – which represents 275 

million litres of leftover paint. 

Celebrity decorator and TV presenter Linda 

Barker said: “Decorating was a fabulous way 

for us to cope with lockdowns during the 

pandemic, but a direct result of that is we’ve 

been left with an awful lot of unused paint – 

and while there are some organisations who 

offer recycling, coverage across the UK is 

sporadic at best. 

“We all have a responsibility to be more 

sustainable and there is already a huge trend 

for making more environmentally friendly 

choices when buying paint, so we know there 

is a willingness to do this. We urgently need 

more facilities and ways for people to be able 

to recycle and reuse unwanted paint so it 

doesn’t go bad sitting in a shed – or end up 

incinerated or in landfill.” 

The RSC’s survey also revealed that 47% of 

households in the UK redecorated in the last 

year, with 31% of this group saying that 

COVID-19 measures provided an ‘excuse’ to 

redecorate. In total, 73% of adults living in the 

UK are now storing unfinished tins of paint. 

When asked why they stockpiled unused 

paint, 30% said it seemed a waste to just 

throw it away, while 73% said they were 

holding on to excess paint in case it was 

needed for touch-ups or repainting. 

Tom Bowtell, chief executive officer of 

British Coatings Federation, said: “Our own 

research echoes that of the RSC and estimates 

that 55 million litres of waste decorative paint 

is generated in the UK each year. Our 

PaintCare initiative sees this left-over paint as a 

valuable resource and plans to recover and 

reuse it. Consumers and professional painters 

will be able to take their old paint to their local 

waste recycling centre or DIY outlet where it 

would be taken to a paint recycling factory for 

sorting, mixing and testing to make new paint 

of the highest quality for re-selling. It’s a 

closed loop system – paint made from paint. 

We will also develop sustainable ways to use 

paint not suitable for remanufacture into new 

materials such as concrete.” 

Earlier this year the Royal Society of 

Chemistry took a revolutionary look at the 

sustainability of ingredients found in millions 

of household products through their report 

called Polymers in liquid formulations (PLFs): 

Opportunities for a sustainable future. The 

paints industry is just one of eight sectors that 

PLFs are key ingredients for, and each year 

more than 36.25 million tonnes of PLFs are 

used in household and industrial products, 

from shampoos to washing detergents. The 

research reports that investment in innovation, 

waste management and the circular economy 

is urgently needed to make this newlyidentified 

group of chemicals more 

sustainable. 

The Royal Society of Chemistry is calling 

for: 

1. Government and local authorities to 

provide more support to paint recycling and 

reuse initiatives, such as BCF’s PaintCare 

programme, making it easier for consumers to 

recycle paints no matter where they live 

2. Government to directly invest in 

research programmes for sustainable 

alternatives for PLFs 

3. Consumers to reduce wastage of 

paints by buying only what they need 

4. Consumers to write to their MP 

asking for change - further details can be 

found on: rsc.li/paints. 

In addition to the release of their report, the 

Royal Society of Chemistry has convened an 

industry task force to plan a way forward to 

make PLFs more sustainable. Unilever, BASF, 

Crown Paints, Croda, Afton Chemical and 

Scott Bader are among the first to join the task 

force, with many other organisations across 

eight key industries including agriculture and 

cosmetics sharing their expertise. 

Paint recycling case study: 

One paint recycling and reuse scheme that 

has been successful is Seagulls Reuse in 

Leeds. Started by friends Cat Hyde and Kate 

Moree in 2002, the social enterprise collects 

waste paint from local households, before 

remixing it for sale at a low price – even 

recolouring for customer’s specific 

requirements. 

They set it up after discovering the 

environmental harm that can come from 

improperly disposed paint – and that there 

were few options to sustainably dispose of 

leftover paint in the UK. Pre-COVID, they 

prevented 350 tonnes of leftover paint going 

into landfill every year. 

Seagulls Reuse founder Cat Hyde said: “I 

don’t think awareness of paint recycling has 

moved much over the past 20 years. I think in 

Leeds, people know we’re here and there are 

schemes around the country that do similar 

things, but we need more. 

“We always say, it’s better to bring in 

unused paint that let it go off. Even if paint 

has gone bad, it can be remade or recycled 

into other products – so please don’t just 

throw it in the bin.” 

It costs approximately £40-50k per year for 

Seagulls to dispose of unusable paint and Cat 

says schemes like theirs must be funded to 

address issues with stockpiling and waste 

going to landfill. 

“At the moment, it comes down to whether 

or not a local authority is prepared to pay for 

that waste. We’re very grateful for Leeds City 

Council for supporting our own scheme, but 

we need more initiatives like ours right across 

the country.” 


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18 NEW OPENING 

Modern moves 

Axalta has officially opened its new, stateof-the-art, 

sustainable facility in the 

Netherlands to strengthen its Dutch 

refinish business further. The ultramodern, 

strategically located facility in the Tiel 

municipality enables Axalta to provide more 

customers with its industry-leading refinish 

paint and non-paint products and services. 

The Axalta global refinish brands in the 

Netherlands – Cromax, Spies HeckerStandox 

and Syrox – all relocated to the new facility in 

May 2021. 

“This is an exciting time for our refinish 

business in Europe and specifically, the 

Netherlands. Our new facility in Tiel is allelectric 

and exceeds local sustainability 

requirements. It makes us an excellent, futureready 

partner to our customers as we work 

together toward a greener future,” said Jim 

Muse, vice president of Axalta Refinish in 

Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). 

Muse officially opened the new 7,250m 2 

premises on Friday 24 September 2021. 

Members of the Axalta leadership team in 

Europe, the management team in the 

Netherlands, Axalta Refinish employees, as 

well as key customers and partners attended 

the ribbon-cutting ceremony, which was 

followed by a reception that adhered to local 

pandemic guidance. 

The facility includes the new Dutch Axalta 

Refinish Academy, which is an innovative 

bodyshop environment for training refinishers 

of the future to deliver the highest-quality 

paint repairs. It is equipped with cutting-edge 

technology and delivers advanced techniques 

such as next-generation drying tools – 

including an infrared drying rail system. It also 

boasts the recently-launched Daisy Wheel 3.0, 

which enables fully end-to-end automated 

colour mixing for the first time and works 

seamlessly with Axalta’s Digital Colour 

Management. 

A separate mixing room – part of Axalta’s 

direct point of distribution – is equipped with 

an ultramodern dual paint mixer to make it 

quick and easy for customers who need large 

quantities of refinish coatings. The new facility 

also comprises expanded office space across 

three floors, a large, automated warehouse for 

first-class service delivery and local colour 

development. 

“Our state-of-the-art academy is a wellequipped, 

a welcoming space that gives 

Axalta refinishers the opportunity to learn 

about the fastest and most productive paint 

processes available anywhere in the world,” 

explains Muse. “The new facility is a triumph 

in terms of innovation and technical 

capabilities. We are committed to helping our 

customers become more productive with 

high-quality coating products, as well as 

providing training and consultancy on key 

business topics such as efficient bodyshop 

processes for improved profitability.” 

Axalta’s facility is located at Tiel’s Business 

Park Medel, where green management, 

sustainability, security and infrastructure are 

the top priorities. The business park offers 

easy access to major transport routes so 

Axalta’s customers are within easy reach for 

visits and order fulfilments. 


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Stand A7 

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20 INSTALLATIONS 

Modular spray 

booth launched 

Digital drive 

ABB is providing a package of metals industry-specific digital-ready 

solutions, including drives, controller and converter infrastructure, to 

enable Global Steel Wire (GSW), part of CELSA Group, to modernize 

operations at its Santander steel mill. 

GSW manufactures and brings to market a range of steel products, 

including wire rod, cables and ropes. Its high-quality steel cables are 

used extensively in the automotive industry as well as in mattress 

springs. The steelmaker had been exploring the use of digital 

technologies to optimize its rolling wire production and will now 

benefit from the expertise and metals industry domain knowledge of 

ABB. 

As part of the contract, ABB will provide its medium voltage drives 

for high power applications, MEGADRIVE-LCI, together with AC 

800PEC controllers. MEGADRIVE-LCI is an advanced type of converter 

that enables variable speed control and soft starting of large 

synchronous machines for many industrial applications. The technology 

will deliver reliability using a fuseless drive design and robust thyristor 

components, which enable fast and successful start-up. The demandbased 

medium voltage drives will result in optimized power 

consumption and higher process efficiency. 

Teams from the two companies had the chance to incorporate the 

use of augmented reality (AR) during the Factory Acceptance Test 

(FAT), with representatives at the LCI factory in Switzerland 

collaborating with others in Spain. It encompassed audio, video, 

document-sharing and live annotations. This allowed progress to 

continue during the COVID-19 travel limitations. 

Bio-based and breathable 

Covestro has launched of 

Decovery SP-8310: a 37 percent 

bio-based, breathable, multipurpose 

resin to enable exterior 

coatings with improved outdoor 

durability and enhanced bio-based 

content. As part of Covestro’s 

Decovery family of resins 

containing up to 52 percent biobased 

content, the new solution 

addresses the decorative coating 

market’s need for longer-lasting 

outdoor coatings with a lower 

environmental impact. 

Across the decorative coatings 

market, painters and consumers 

are increasingly seeking longerlasting 

exterior coating systems. 

Through proprietary painter and 

consumer market research, 

Covestro found that adhesion and 

durability are key issues for 

painters in exterior paints. 

Specifically, as the use of multiple 

substrates becomes more 

common, painters increasingly 

need paints to deliver stronger 

multi-substrate adhesion. At the 

same time, as the global climate 

crisis becomes increasingly severe, 

exterior coatings are more 

vulnerable than ever to cracking 

under extreme weather 

conditions, which cause surfaces to 

contract and expand more 

severely. As a result, coatings now 

need to be more flexible to reach 

the required levels of durability. 

The EcoProBooth opens up new 

perspectives in spray booth 

technology for car 

manufacturers. With its modular 

box concept, independent lines 

and the combination of interior 

and exterior painting in a single 

box, it provides a degree of 

scalability and flexibility 

previously only possible for 

small-scale series. However, this 

is not the only way it meets 

essential requirements for future 

production. With its new booth 

concept, Dürr also addresses the 

critical topic of energy efficiency. 

Compared to current line 

concepts with dry separation, the 

EcoProBooth promises to reduce 

energy consumption by around 

40% and carbon emissions. For 

the many existing systems that 

will continue to operate with wet 

scrubbing, the saving will 

increase to 75%. 

EcoProBooth boxes can 

transform individual painting 

lines into an efficient and flexible 

painting environment. The 

example of a primerless process 

clearly illustrates this. In this case, 

an integrated paint process (IPP) 

for 60 jobs per hour (eight zones 

for base coat and six zones for 

clear coat, traditionally split 

between two rigid lines with 30 

jobs per hour each) become five 

parallel EcoProBooth lines. Each 

features one position for all base 

coat applications and one for all 

clear coat applications. Fourteen 

zones become ten boxes. Each 

line can be individually 

controlled and brought online or 

offline as needed. 

Greater efficiency is also 

ensured by the optimal 

distribution of the bodies to the 

EcoProBooth boxes. Cycle time 

losses due to different painting 

scopes, such as metallic and 

solid, or different body types are 

a thing of the past. The greatest 

painting scope no longer 

determines the cycle, since the 

booth size paints all standard 

passenger car types – from 

compact cars to SUVs. The size 

and design of the box are 

standard. This means 

straightforward conversions and 

extensions are possible without a 

knock-on effect on production in 

other box segments. 

Pushed to its limits 

Nothing pushes an automotive 

finish to its limits like 

motorsports. So AERO was truly 

put to the test when applied to 

the fleet of Corvette Racing 

C8.Rs. AERO passed with flying 

colours in both durability and 

sustainability—further evidence 

that it represents a revolutionary 

alternative to paint and a 

genuine solution as the future 

finish for all vehicle 

manufacturing at General 

Motors Company. 

“With environmental 

sustainability a key aspect of 

General Motors Company 

grand strategy, using paint the 

way it was traditionally 

produced is no longer fit for 

purpose” said James E. 

McGuire, Jr., CEO of AERO 

Sustainable Material Technology. 

“As one of the most energyintensive, 

water-intensive, and 

environmentally hazardous 

aspects of a vehicle production 

line, paint was always going to 

be a problem on a sustainability 

journey” added McGuire. 

“General Motors Company 

recognized AERO’s unique 

sustainability credentials and 

we’re now part of General 

Motor’s roadmap towards 

environmental sustainability 

sharing our expertise and 

creating performance finishes 

that are kinder to the planet.” 

AERO finishes have helped 

Corvette Racing win 2018 and 

2020 GTLM Championships, as 

well as podiums and victories at 

Le Mans, Daytona, and Sebring, 

through a reduction in weight, 

an increase in durability, and a 

more effective, environmentally 

sustainable finish. 


PMD Chemicals Limited 

401 Broad Lane • Coventry • CV5 7AX 

T: 024 76 920 168 

info@pmdchemicals.co.uk 

www.pmdchemicals.com 

PMD CHEMICALS ……Your trusted, reliable partner for all your Chemical 

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Success has been achieved through 

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Chrome Plating 

Copper Plating 

Electroless Nickel 

Electrolytic Nickel 

Gold Plating 

Silver Plating 

Tin Plating 

Zinc Alloys 

Zinc Plating 

Speciality Finishes 

POST TREATMENTS 

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Base Chemistry 

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Contact a member of the team 

02476 920168 • info@pmdchemicals.co.uk

22 POWDER COATING 

Growth in powder 

Agreat deal of work has been done by 

QUALICOAT over the last few years to 

understand the relationship between 

architectural aluminium and powder coating, 

the results of which are freely available in the 

current version of the QUALICOAT Standard 

which is constantly updated in ‘real time’. To 

gain a QUALICOAT licence, powder coaters 

must undergo both a stringent pretreatment 

& coating equipment review and crucially, a 

review of their production processes. Only 

when these meet the stringent requirements 

of QUALICOAT will a licence be granted. So 

who sets the standard? Members themselves 

set up in working groups from across the 

globe to set the bar high to simply be the 

best. So a QUALICOAT specification is an 

assurance that your coater cares about the 

quality they are providing. 

With the recent introduction of 

QUALICOAT 3.0, where the aluminium itself 

has to meet stringent quality levels, the 

introduction of pre-anodisation and chrome 

free pretreatment systems, the sealing of the 

aluminium surface and the ‘key’ that these 

processes provide, ensures that the coating 

will remain in place for a very long time. 

Weathering over time affects all finishes, 

this is especially relevant to buildings which 

are rarely cleaned on their exposed surfaces. 

Some materials, such as copper, the green 

patina effect once weathered, can be very 

pleasing. Corten exposed steel weathers to a 

dark rusty hue. Where specifiers want finishes 

that are intended to retain their original 

colours, finishes that fade or change over time 

would deemed to be unacceptable. 

The formulation of organic coated surface 

treatments has advanced over the forty years 

that organic coating was first specified for 


POWDER COATING 23 

architectural metalwork. Many of the original 

projects are still in use today with the coating 

still doing its job protecting the aluminium or 

steel substrate, but could have faded. Much 

of the current architectural organic coating in 

the UK uses ‘Class 1’ powders which offer 

excellent adhesion and long life. 

Powders can be supplied in various grades 

of durability to suit a project application. 

Premium powder compositions use more 

expensive and robust materials to offer life 

expectancies well beyond thirty years and 

often similar to the life expectancy of the 

building itself. QUALICOAT has created 

quantifiable performance classifications for 

architectural organic coatings. In Europe there 

are three distinct classes of performance - 

Class 1, 2 & 3. 

The key parameter to distinguish the 

performance of these Classes is their 

‘weathering’ ability. That is to say, the ability to 

maintain a consistent colour and gloss level 

over time. To ‘weather’ well the organic 

coating must resist the deleterious effects of 

Light (in particular UVa & UVb), temperature 

and humidity. The globally accepted method 

for this ‘natural weathering’ test is conducted 

in Florida, USA. Sample panels are set for 

external exposure at a given angle 5° South. 

Powders are then classified over time exposure 

on the following performances: 

Class 1 powders: 

After twelve months exposure, less than 

50% loss of gloss, and colour change between 

2 and 6 delta units (subject to the colour). This 

pass criterion is commonly known as ‘1 year 

Florida’. 


After twelve months exposure, less than 

25% loss of gloss, after twenty-four months, 

less than 40% loss of gloss and after thirty-six 

months, less than 50% loss of gloss. After 

threeyears colour change 2 to 6 delta units, 

dependent on colour. This testing criterion is 

commonly known as ‘3 year Florida’ 


After three years, less than 20% loss of 

gloss, after seven years less than 45% loss of 

gloss and after ten years less than 50% loss of 

gloss – or commonly known as ’10 year 

Florida’. 

Whilst Class 1 is the standard powder used 

across the UK, Class 2 organic coatings are 

increasingly being specified and offer greater 

durability against weathering. It is important to 

state that whilst Class 1 will weather, as shown 

in its class above, that does not mean that the 

finish fails to perform. Class 1 powder finishes 

have a life expectancy of thirty years or more. 

The vast majority of high end powder 

coaters in the UK are now QUALICOAT 

approved and to ensure that specifiers get 

‘QUALICOAT’ organic coatings, the 

Association recommends just adding the term 

‘QUALICOAT Approved’ to the material 

specifications and the applicator of the 

architectural finish. 

On new and refurbished buildings powder 

coated finishes will always come with a 

cleaning and maintenance regime from the 

company who coated the aluminium profiles. 

These will be minimal cleaning requirements 

and need to be adhered to as well as 

recorded when cleaning takes place. This will 

ensure the coated finish is maintained within 

the warranty wording and will help should 

there be any claim in the future. 

Warranties vary in time and are dependent 

of the powder coat finish used and the 

location of the installation. For example, where 

the coating is close to the sea, a marine grade 

or QUALICOAT ‘Seaside’ specification for the 

coating must be used and the cleaning regime 

interval reduced to three monthly intervals as 

the atmosphere is more corrosive. 

QUALICOAT UK & Ireland offer a basic 

guide which can be downloaded from their 

website. This can be referred to as where the 

original maintenance information has been 

mislaid and not available to refer to. 

The global QUALICOAT standard continues 

to be incrementally revised with update sheets 

and a reprint of the standard every year. The 

standard is freely available for download at 

www.qualicoat.net. For details on the 

availability of various colours and finishes 

contact any QUALICOAT UK & Ireland 

member for more information. For updated 

information about the use and specification of 

QUALICOAT in the UK and Ireland, please 

visit the UK & Ireland Association website at 

www.qualicoatuki.org. 

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24 ANODIZING 

Plenty of potential 

Clariant has been providing dyes and 

colorants for finishing anodized 

aluminium for more than half a century 

and a unique three-way partnership is 

highlighting the design possibilities using this 

special process. 

Almost one-hundred years ago aluminum 

revolutionized the world with the discovery of 

new manufacturing processes and strong 

alloys that were lighter than steel. Today, its 

properties make aluminum attractive for many 

industries including transportation, electrical 

and packaging, architecture, and food. As it’s 

recyclable it also has environmental and 

economic advantages. 

Aluminum creates a sophisticated look that 

can transform an application and, in many 

applications, including architecture, it can be 

anodized - a process that protects against 

corrosion, enhances aesthetics, resists 

scratching and is very durable. 

Just over a decade ago the Belarussian 

aluminum floor coverings company KTM- 

2000 decided to invest seriously in the 

construction of its own anodizing line and, in 

addition to its existing business, it added the 

anodizing of aluminum façade claddings to its 

catalogue. The rest, as they say, is history. 

“In 2014 I met Clariant and its distributor for 

its anodized aluminum colours, Omya. After 

the inspiration of these meetings, we decided 

that Clariant’s dyes could significantly expand 

KTM- 2000’s capabilities, and the three-way 

partnership would help our business gain the 

experience to make a unique offer on the 

market,” said Taras Gvozdkov, CEO of KTM- 

2000. Clariant’s portfolio for aluminum 

finishing for Europe, North Africa and the 

Middle East is available through its exclusive 

distributor Omya (Schweiz) AG. 

In quick succession KTM-2000 was 

commissioned to produce the façade of the 

Office of the 3rd line of the Minsk Metro and 

the façade of the Primakov school in a region 

of Moscow. 

“Clariant and Omya helped KTM-2000 

through these projects in a collaborative way, 

overcoming challenges through technical 

consulting and on-site trainings and 

workshops. The results spoke for themselves 

with finishes that display excellent light and 

weather fastness - unique in the industry, 

scratch resistance, corrosion stability, surface 

hardness, and heavy-metal free formulation,” 

explained Andreas van Baerle, Head of Sales 

Aluminium Finishing EMEA at Omya. 

These led to the KTM-2000’s most 

significant project to date, the Palace of 

Rhythmic Gymnastics in Minsk where 

experience acquired from earlier commissions 

proved critical. “We had to complete the 

project in a very short time and finish a 

10'000 square meter facade with 12 different 

color shades. It was a real challenge, but we 

developed 18 new work methods and new 

technological approaches to color anodizing. 

As a result, we completed the project on time 

and in just 70 days,” explained Gvozdkov. 

Clariant’s palette of high-quality colorants 

for aluminum finishing is one of the broadest 

in the industry, with tailor-made solutions 

focused on improved sustainability and energy 

efficiency. The range of dyes and aluminum 

finishing chemicals are manufactured 

according to strict Swiss safety and 

environmental requirements and are suitable 

for outdoor and indoor architectural 

applications. The Sanodal range of dyes, used 

in this partnership, offers exceptional light and 

weather fastness properties, in a broad range 

of shades. 

In addition, based on clients’ complex 

individual requirements, with Omya, Clariant 

can offer technical customer services for all 

the steps in a production process, operation 

support, and workflow optimization, provided 

locally by Clariant technical centers and 

regional exclusive partners wherever possible. 

This support ensures that dyeing processes are 

optimized, aiding the development of special 

products and solutions to enhance endproducts 

such as car parts, electrical devices 

and appliances. 

This three-way KTM-2000-Omya-Clariant 

partnership shows the advantage and 

possibilities of working with color and 

anodized aluminum, and it looks set to 

continue, “Thanks to the partnership with 

Clariant and Omya, KTM-2000 has achieved 

success and completed some significant 

projects, but we believe that the most 

interesting projects are still ahead!” concludes 

Gvozdkov. 


The Choice for the Professional Powder Coater 

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26 SPRAY BOOTHS 

Sustainable design 

The EcoProBooth opens up new 

perspectives in spray booth technology 

for car manufacturers. With its modular 

box concept, independent lines and the 

combination of interior and exterior painting 

in a single box, it provides a degree of 

scalability and flexibility previously only 

possible for small-scale series. However, this is 

not the only way it meets essential 

requirements for future production. With its 

new booth concept, Dürr also addresses the 

critical topic of energy efficiency. Compared 

to current line concepts with dry separation, 

the EcoProBooth promises to reduce energy 

consumption by around 40% and carbon 

emissions. For the many existing systems that 

will continue to operate with wet scrubbing, 

the saving will increase to 75%. 

EcoProBooth boxes can transform 

individual painting lines into an efficient and 

flexible painting environment. The example 

of a primerless process clearly illustrates this. 

In this case, an integrated paint process (IPP) 

for 60 jobs per hour (eight zones for base 

coat and six zones for clear coat, traditionally 

split between two rigid lines with 30 jobs per 

hour each) become five parallel EcoProBooth 

lines. Each features one position for all base 

coat applications and one for all clear coat 

applications. Fourteen zones become ten 

boxes. Each line can be individually 

controlled and brought online or offline as 



Unit 10, Southlink Business Park, 

Hamilton Street, 

Oldham, OL4 1DE 

Visit us at 


2&3 March 2022 

Stand H1

28 SPRAY BOOTHS 

needed. 

Scalability for system efficiency 

Greater efficiency is also ensured by the 

optimal distribution of the bodies to the 

EcoProBooth boxes. Cycle time losses due to 

different painting scopes, such as metallic and 

solid, or different body types are a thing of 

the past. The greatest painting scope no 

longer determines the cycle, since the booth 

size paints all standard passenger car types – 

from compact cars to SUVs. The size and 

design of the box are standard. This means 

straightforward conversions and extensions 

are possible without a knock-on effect on 

production in other box segments. 

All-in-one for greater 

availability 

The painting robots look after the interior 

and exterior painting in one box using the 

application technology optimally coordinated 

to the body in question. The new EcoBell4 

Pro Ux universal atomizer meets the highest 

standards for paint-ing quality and ensures 

that only four painting robots are needed per 

box. Inte-grating all the painting tasks into 

one box eliminates the time required to 

convey bodies, when the robots are inactive, 

between the process steps for interior and 

exterior painting. 

A further factor in the uninterrupted 

operation of the system is the service cubicles 

located in the corners of the booth, which 

have a continuous flow of fresh air through 

them. Employees can safely access them 

without breathing apparatus to clean or do 

minor servicing tasks on atomizers and tools 

while painting continues. At the same time, 

the amount of cleaning required can be 

adapted to the degree of contamination of 

the respective component using the DXQ 

software from Dürr. 

Low energy consumption thanks 

to maximum air recirculation 

percentage 

The highly efficient modular concept has 

enabled Dürr to reduce the booth area. In the 

example mentioned, the volumetric flow rate 

of the process air is around 20% lower. The 

modular concept minimizes energy 

consumption and reduces carbon emissions 

and operating costs. 

The EcoProBooth has a highly recirculated 

air rate thanks to its low energy needs with a 

ratio of recirculated air to fresh air of 95:5. 

This means the process air is supplemented 

with 5% fresh air, taken directly from the 

clean room without any further air supply 

system. The box also features overspray 

separation with the latest generation of the 

EcoDryScrubber. Once the paint particles 

have been removed from the air, they are 

reconditioned in a recirculating air unit 

assigned directly to the painting booth, 

reducing energy consumption and costs. The 

new EcoDryScrubber can purify almost twice 

as much air as the predecessor models with 

just one filter stage per module. The highly 

compact design of the filter stage integrates 

perfectly into the box concept. Compared to 

a traditional wet separation system, Dürr 

reduces the energy needed by 40%. For a 

painting line with wet scrubbing, this 

increases to 75%. 

Sustainable investment for all 

eventualities 

In addition to efficiency and flexibility, 

sustainability is an increasingly important 

competitive factor for the manufacturing 

sector. With its new system layout, Dürr has 

created the ideal conditions for needs-based 

manufacturing and efficient use of resources. 

Significant reductions in the volumetric flow 

rate of the process air and the high 

recirculation rate keep energy consumption 

and carbon emissions as low as possible. At 

the same time, the intelligent box layout 

reduces material consumption by cutting 

losses when changing color. Subdividing the 

line into shorter segments additionally allows 

for the intelligent distribution of painting 

orders to minimize color changes, saving 

paint and flushing agent consumption and 

reducing costs and VOC emissions. 

Whether a major volume manufacturer or 

an e-mobility newcomer and, whether 

building a new system or retrofitting an 

existing one, EcoProBooth is an investment in 

the future of painting. 


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Proud supplier of DeFelsko Inspection Instruments

30 FINISHING 

The shape of 

things to come 

When it comes to achieving the 

required quality of products by 

surface refinement, the mass finishing 

technology can be used for a broad range of 

different finishing tasks. With its 

comprehensive research & development 

activities the Rösler Oberflächentechnik 

GmbH continues to generate new technical 

highlights not only for the machine 

technology but also for the respective mass 

finishing consumables. Three recently 

introduced products make it possible to 

significantly improve the finishing results, the 

process consistency, the cost efficiency and 

sustainability of mass finishing operations. At 

the same time, they open the door for new 

applications, for example, the finishing of 

complex, cup-shaped work pieces. 

The mass finishing technology can handle 

all kinds of surface finishing tasks ranging 

from the simple deburring/edge radiusing 

and surface grinding to high gloss polishing 

of mass- produced bulk goods and single 

components. It can even create special effects 

on the surface of the work pieces. Of course, 

like any other industrial processes, mass 

finishing operations must comply with all 

kinds of requirements such as high quality 

standards, process stability, work piece 

traceability and cost-efficiency. More recently 

optimal resource utilization and sustainability 

have become a focal point in numerous 

industries. And finally, the rapidly growing 

automatization and digitization of 

manufacturing operations also calls for 

specially adapted solutions for mass finishing 

operations. For decades the Rösler 

Oberflächentechnik GmbH has met these 

challenges with comprehensive research and 

development in the equipment sector as well 

as in the fields of process and automation 

technology and consumables. In this context 

a big advantage is that Rösler is producing all 

its consumables in-house. Rüdiger Böhm, 

global R & D manager at Rösler, explains: 

„We study the technical trends and 

requirements in numerous industries and 

markets extensively. Our findings are then 

systematically utilized for the development of 

innovative products to provide a significant 

incremental value to our customers and to 

expand the application range for the mass 

finishing technology”. 

MultiShape – a unique media 

shape that makes the impossible 

possible 

Such an innovation is the new MultiShape 

ceramic media. Compared to all other 

products currently available in the market, this 

media has a patented shape without any flat, 

parallel surface areas. On the one hand this 

unique design prevents media lodging in the 

work pieces, which can occur particularly in 

case of complex work pieces. Such lodged 

media can severely affect the finishing process 

and must frequently be removed by hand. 



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32 FINISHING 

On the other hand, the shape with its 

rounded surface areas allows the surface 

refinement of work pieces, which to-date could 

not be handled by mass finishing at all or only 

with very complicated operational setups. This 

includes components with difficult-to-reach 

surface areas like tight radii, undercuts, 

notches and slits, which can frequently be 

found in stamped and bent components. The 

unusual ceramic media also allows the 

effective and homogeneous finishing of 

external and internal surface areas on tube 

segments and cup- shaped components like 

housings and deep drawn parts. 

Compared to traditional ceramic media, the 

new product is also characterized by a faster 

and more dynamic motion of the work 

piece/media mix and a higher material 

removal rate. This results in up to 10 % 

shorter finishing times. Therefore, the new 

media represents a significant contribution 

towards higher productivity and cost-efficiency. 

Another important attribute of the MultiShape 

media are its uniform wear characteristics. This 

excellent shape retention feature allows a 

longer media use, which is positively affecting 

the operating costs. The grinding intensity can 

be adjusted to the respective finishing 

application through different ceramic 

compositions. 

Mass finishing without foaming 

– increased process stability, 

efficiency and sustainability 

Unwanted foam is a common phenomenon 

in mass finishing processes with plastic media, 

even with foam-reduced media versions. 

Foaming can be problematic because, acting 

as a buffer between the work pieces and 

media, it reduces the grinding performance 

and material removal rate. This can diminish 

the process stability, and the processing aim 

can frequently no longer be achieved within 

the defined cycle time. Moreover, the foam 

containing metal and media fines 

contaminates the surface of the finished work 

pieces. The foam also causes a deterioration of 

the process water cleanliness, requiring a 

higher compound dosing rate and forcing the 

user to replace the process water more 

frequently. Last-but-not-least, foam discharged 

from the mass finishing machine contaminates 

the working environment. In the past the users 

tried to control the foaming by adding special 

chemical compounds. But this was not very 

successful, caused additional costs and 

reduced the process sustainability. 

With its non-foaming plastic media, the socalled 

“N” version, the R & D department at 

Rösler has now developed a better solution. 

Christian Höhn, head of the technology 

management at Rösler, explains: ”Prior to 

introducing the product in the market we 

conducted extensive field trials with special 

pilot users. The trials proved convincingly that 

the non-foaming plastic media has the same 

grinding characteristics and performance as 

the standard product”. The trials also 

demonstrated that with the newly developed 

media the mass finishing processes are 

running much more stable, and the required 

results are achieved in shorter cycle times. 

This positive effect regarding cost-efficiency 

and sustainability is augmented by a longer 

usable life of the media and process water 

and a reduced compound usage. ”Because of 

the disruptive foaming many users had been 

using ceramic media, even though this was 

not the best option. For these users the nonfoaming 

plastic media version is a great 

opportunity to optimize their finishing 

processes”, concludes Christian Höhn. All 

plastic media in the comprehensive Rösler 

portfolio are available in the non-foaming “N” 

version. 

Dust-free drying with organic 

drying media 

The third new development in the 

consumables sector in 2021 allows a 

significant reduction of the dust occurring 

during drying processes utilizing organic 

drying media such as maizorb. Even in small 

quantities the liquid, easily dispensable, Anti- 

Dust additive significantly reduces the 

formation of dust. Depending on the 

operating times and work pieces the additive 

can be manually added or dosed fully 

automatically. 

The Anti-Dust additive is employed in 

drying operations for metal and plastic 

components, whenever organic drying media 

is used. Without negatively impacting the 

drying performance it guarantees absolutely 

spot-free surface finishes. At the same time, 

dust residues on the finished work pieces and 

the surrounding area are minimized. This also 

represents a huge step towards a clean, lowdust 

working environment. Rainer Schindhelm, 

division manager of the consumables 

production, explains: „Because it is purely 

organic and complies with the prevailing food 

standards, the Anti-Dust additive also 

represents a significant contribution towards a 

cleaner environment”. 

Increasing the productivity of the mass 

finishing technology, improving overall 

sustainability and reducing CO2 emissions; 

these are the main goals of the development 

work at Rösler in the year 2022. Various 

solutions from the sectors equipment 

technology and consumables are already 

being tested at various customers. 


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34 PLATING 

Titanium time 

Calling on its expertise and experience of 

selective plating, SIFCO ASC has 

developed a bespoke range of 

automated solutions for the plating of 

titanium. The proprietary process gives 

customers a consistent, repeatable means of 

enhancing titanium alloys for use in missioncritical 

components. 

The new process overcomes a key 

challenge in the use of titanium for certain 

applications. Despite its high strength and 

light weight, titanium’s poor resistance to 

abrasive or adhesive wear makes it unsuitable 

for use as, for example, aircraft landing gears 

and automotive internal combustion engines. 

This can be overcome by plating the 

titanium, which enhances its performance 

characteristics, including improved lubricity, 

corrosion resistance and conductivity, as well 

as heat reflection and emissivity. 

Unfortunately, titanium is notoriously difficult 

to plate, largely because of an oxide film 

which forms the moment it becomes exposed 

to oxygen. 

Existing plating techniques to overcome this 

challenge have proven to be highly corrosive, 

potentially poisonous or short-lived in their 

effectiveness. This is why SIFCO ASC 

undertook extensive experiments with TI 6-Al 

4-V and TI 6-6-2, two of the world’s most 

widely used titanium alloys, to perfect a more 

efficient plating process. 

The result is a plating process which 

includes surface pre-treatments of mechanical 

finishing, followed by an etch, activation, and 

finally the introduction of a thin layer of nickel. 

This pioneering approach brings all the 

benefits of selective plating – including 

versatility and convenience – together with 

enhanced safety and component quality. 

The biggest challenge for SIFCO ASC was 

to avoid oxidization – and therefore costly 

scrappage of compromised titanium – the 

electrolyte solution must flow continuously 

over the component at all times. But, this 

problem could be eliminated through 

automation. 

“Titanium offers almost unlimited potential 

to drive improvements in the reliability and 

performance of mission critical components,” 

explains Derek Kilgore, Engineering Manager 

at SIFCO ASC. “Yet while this benefit is within 

reach, it has also proved challenging to grasp 

– largely because of the complications 

surrounding the plating process. 

“These challenges can be essentially 

removed through investment in automated 

systems. Combining the ease and 

convenience of selective plating, they not only 

reduce human error, but also introduce vital 

benefits in terms of quality, repeatability and 

traceability or data logging, as well as 

productivity and user safety.” 

The use of automation also makes the 

process more repeatable, an advantage for 

mission critical applications where absolute 

and consistent quality is demanded. It is also 

fully traceable, making it easy to identify 

specific components should there ever be the 

need to investigate or recall specific products. 

SIFCO ASC can offer titanium plating as a 

contract service either on-site of a customer’s 

premises or at a job shop. 

The automated system designed by SIFCO 

ASC uses a portable TechnoPlate® - a 

programmable power pack which not only 

allows repairs to be plated in situ, but also 

stores the volts, amperage and amphere 

hours, eliminating the risk of human error and 

oxidization. 

Additionally, for non-titanium applications, 

SIFCO ASC can design, specify, deliver, and 

commission simple workbenches or fully 

automated workstations with robotic systems 

to handle components, anodes and solutions 

through RFID and barcode tagging. The only 

human intervention necessary is 

programming and replenishing solutions. 


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36 CONTROL PLATFORMS 

All in control 

For intelligent networking of machines and 

systems, it is elementary that industrial 

processes can be controlled centrally. In 

order to prepare industrial vacuum users for the 

Internet of Things and Industry 4.0 scenarios, 

the manufacturer Atlas Copco has developed 

the innovative HEX@GRID control platform. 

The central multi-pump control has a multitude 

of intelligent functions and sets new standards in 

terms of connectivity and energy efficiency. 

Reduced costs for operation and 

maintenance 

In terms of optimised operating processes, 

users have the opportunity to improve their 

vacuum performance. In addition, costs can be 

saved with the HEX@GRID because a 

properly tuned vacuum system is easier and 

more cost-effective to operate and maintain. 

"Another benefit for users relates to 

connectivity, because with the new controller 

all vacuum components can be integrated into 

one system," explains the responsible product 

manager, Yuri Vanderveken. 

Values in real time on the 

terminal 

This allows customers to operate their systems 

from a single source, regardless of location: For 

example, if several components of a vacuum 

system with variable speed control (VSD) have 

to keep the pressure constant. "With the help of 

the HEX@GRID's optional 10-inch HMI 

interface, users get a complete insight into the 

central vacuum system," Yuri Vanderveken 

points out. "The individual, intuitive user 

interface allows the values of the system 

components to be entered and monitored in 

real time via laptop, tablet or smartphone," the 

product manager adds. 

Checks become a finger exercise 

Thanks to the full connectivity of the 

HEX@GRID, updates and new functions can 

also be downloaded directly. A notification 

function on the selected end device always 

keeps users up to date. Further advantages: 

Regular checks of the vacuum system become 

an easy finger exercise, and calibration also 

becomes easier. "If required, the user can add 

schedules, plan actions and thus secure the 

entire process. With the help of the central 

setpoint control, the vacuum system can be 

operated in a stable and intelligent way," 

explains Yuri Vanderveken. 

Different features, depending on 

the application 

Depending on the application, different 

HEX@GRID versions are available to the user. 

For vacuum users with a HEX@, MK5 or 

other Atlas Copco controller, there is a 

standard HEX@GRID version as well as an 

updated version with Optimizer. "Both 

versions can also control third-party products," 

says Yuri Vanderveken. For vacuum systems 

consisting of DZS VSD+ or GVS VSD+ 

pumps, the VSD+ app is suitable; for a system 

with up to 16 vacuum pumps, the LINK 

HEX@GRID with pressure sensor and virtual 

machine control. 

Maintenance intervals are 

optimized 

With LINK control, the user has the 

advantage of operating the vacuum pumps 

as 1 virtual machine. Depending on the 

process, these pumps are started one after 

the other at 60%, each time the first pump 

acting as the VSD leader is reaching full 

capacity. Once all follower pumps are at 60% 

and the leader pump runs out of capacity, 

these follower pumps can increase their 

capacity in steps of 10% as 1 machine. For 

processes with a predefined operating time, 

the provision of reserve pumps is crucial. The 

LINK control coordinates the use of backup 

pumps to optimise maintenance intervals. 

Master pump compensates for 

fluctuations in demand 

The standard version of the HEX@GRID 

platform controls up to eight pumps. “It has 

virtual machine control and thus the same 

working principle as the LINK where we 

have a leader pump adapting VSD to the 

demand and follower pumps working as 1 

within the 60-100% capacity range" Yuri 

Vanderveken elaborates. The bottom line is 

that this can lead to a reduction in energy 

consumption of up to 10 % compared to 

conventional sequencers. "In addition, the 

operating hours of different pumps in a 

network can also be balanced out," sums up 

product manager Yuri Vanderveken. The tip 

of the technological iceberg however is the 

Optimizer control algorithm. Each individual 

pump in a vacuum system has a different 

specific energy at different speeds and inlet 

pressures. HEX@GRID uses that information 

to continually optimizes the speed of each of 

those individual pumps by calculating the 

most energy efficient way to control the 

entire system based on the demand. As an 

addition up to 20 pumps can be controlled 

by the Optimizer control. 


Automated Water & Effluent Ltd have been supplying process control equipment 

to the metal finishing and surface finishing industry. 

We have an in-house team of qualified engineers able to design and build 

control panels and process equipment specific to fit your requirements. 

A wide range of our control instrumentation, dosing pumps and chemical process 

equipment is available on short delivery. 

CALL 

TODAY ON 

01785 254 597 

• Custom Designed & Built Control Panels 

• pH & Redox Controllers & Electrodes 

• Conductivity Controllers 

• Liquid Level Controllers 

• Open Chanel & Magnetic Flow Meters 

• Data Loggers 

• Dosing Pumps & Tanks 

Automated Water 

& Effluent Ltd 

Get in touch for a quote today! 

Visit us at 


on Stand A9 

AWE House, Antom Court, Tollgate 

Industrial Estate, Stafford, ST16 3AF 

awe-ltd.co.uk 01785 254 597

38 VALVES 

New valve 

on the block 

The new GEMÜ P600S multi-port valve 

block solution allows for flexible 

combination of standardized single 

components. The new modular system 

therefore offers advantages regarding 

procurement and inventory-keeping, whilst 

simultaneously ensuring achievement of 

highly individual actuator travel and flow 

paths. 

In addition to multi-port valve blocks 

manufactured on a case by case basis, today 

modular and partly standardized block 

systems made of plastic or stainless steel are 

already in use in many sectors. Thanks to the 

systematic construction of the modules, 

complex valve assemblies can be paired in a 

variable way based on fewer basic bodies, 

meaning complex actuator travel and flow 

paths can be produced with different layouts 

of basic bodies. 

The new, innovative GEMÜ P600S M-block 

solution now goes one step further, facilitating 

later modification to connections via a flexible 

connection system, so that different types can 

be integrated individually into the respective 

processes. 

The modular basic bodies and connections 

can be kept in stock as single components 

and paired depending on requirements on a 

case by case basis. GEMÜ thus provides plant 

engineers and operators with the option of 

flexibly adapting or expanding their process 

plants at any time directly on location. 

GEMÜ P600S is available in various plastics 

as well as stainless steels. 

GEMÜ P600S made of plastic for 

chemically corrosive media 

With the plastic series of the new GEMÜ 

P600S, GEMÜ provides a multi-functional 

solution for blending, diverting, draining or 

feeding chemically corrosive media. The 

modular M-block diaphragm valve is available 

in materials PP-H and PVC, and in nominal 

sizes DN 8 to DN 25. Spigots, threaded 

sockets and union ends on the basic body can 

be adapted to individual requirements via the 

flexible connection system. 

GEMÜ P600S in stainless steel 

for aseptic applications 

With the stainless steel series of the new 

GEMÜ P600S, GEMÜ provides a multifunctional 

solution for blending, diverting, 

draining or feeding demanding media in the 

pharmaceutical industry, biotechnology 

industry and the food industry. The modular 

M-block diaphragm valve is available in 

various stainless steel materials, and in 

nominal sizes DN 20 to DN 25 – other 

versions are available on request. Spigots, 

flanges and clamps on the basic body can be 

adapted to individual requirements via the 

flexible connection system. The interfaces for 

individual components have been designed 

based on a standardized aseptic connection. 


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t: 01442 879494 • www.dftinstruments.co.uk • e: sales@dftinstruments.co.uk 

Visit us at Surface World Live • Stand D9

40 CORROSION 

Cutting down corrosion 

LP Gas Turbines are used throughout the 

world by extraction industries and 

manufacturing plants in remote and 

hostile locations for essential power 

production. Dusty and wet environments in 

deserts, mines, grinding mills, pulp and paper 

mills and on land or sea drilling rigs for gas 

and oil production. Turbines powering aircraft 

services while stationary connect and 

disconnect many times a day in extreme 

conditions. These applications and locations 

test connector sealing continuously allowing 

dust or water to penetrate. This with the 

flexing of the connecting cables allows 

sufficient movement between the metal 

surfaces of the connecting pins to produce 

fretting corrosion which reduces, interrupts or 

produces failures in supply. Regular 

maintenance of electrical connectors is 

essential to be certain of uninterrupted supply. 

Rub test results 

SuperCORR A is an aerosol lubricant 

containing corrosion preventive compounds. 

A manufacturer of connectors tested 

SuperCORR A to see what the “life” of the 

lubricant was in a “rub test”. The typical test is 

20,000 cycles, i.e. unplug, plug in is one 

cycle. The test results demonstrated that after 

20,000 cycles there were no failures. It was 

decided to take it one more step and run the 

same tests for 200,000 cycles. The results 

again showed no indications of galling or 

scoring on the connectors at all. The 

connector looked and tested as good as new. 

This test was run under clean conditions in a 

laboratory but demonstrates the effectiveness 

SuperCORR A. 

As it meets Mil MIL-DTL-87177B (revised 

MIL-L-87177A) specifications it is used by the 

U.S. Air Force to protect the intricate workings 

of the F-16 and F-15 fighter jets and by the 

U.S. Navy on the P 3 Orion electronic 

surveillance aircraft. Savings for the U.S. 

government is estimated at $50 million per 

year. Commercial Aviation aircraft 

manufacturers recommend it for avionics and 

electrical switches and connectors and close 

mechanical application, especially where 

flights are in salt fog or high humidity. 

Containing extremely long-lasting, 

proprietary anti-corrosive inhibitors 

SuperCORR A provides a superior lubrication 

coefficient and protects components against 

moisture, wear, general and fretting corrosion, 

surface static electricity, corona, and other 

electromigration problems. The super thin 

non-flammable lubricant film is only 7 

microns (0.007mm) thick and is formulated 

without sulphates, chlorides or halogens to 

meet the RoHS directive. It is unexcelled in 

preventing deterioration and contamination on 

all surfaces of electronic equipment. 

Very fast drying, environmentally 

acceptable solvents are used as carriers and 

propellants which will not affect most plastics, 

substrates, metals or other materials used in 

connector manufacture. The aerosols are 

supplied with probes which allow access to 

pins and connector tubes where the low 

surface tension repels water, dirt dust and 

metal particles from blind holes and surfaces 

to produce thoroughly clean holes and 

surfaces before a second application applies 

the lubricant film. Reconnection to the 

supply with cleaned sections of the 

connector ensures reliable operation even in 

the most testing of environments. One can 

of SuperCORR A allows this essential task to 

be carried out in any conditions quickly, 

easily and securely. 


Gas Process Burners 

Lanemark gas burner systems offer users reliable, high efficiency, 

process heating solutions. 

FD-C high turndown oven/ 

dryer air heating burners. 

Midco HMA high efficiency, 

high turndown, air replacement 

or “make-up” air heating burners. 

FD-GA modulating gas + air 

process air heating burners. 

FD-E low cost high turndown 

oven/dryer air heating burners. 

TX high efficiency small diameter 

immersion tube tank heating 

systems. 

FD Series Packaged Oven/Dryer Burners 

• Specifi cally designed for process air heating applications in convection 

ovens and dryers 

• High turndown/short flame lengths providing accurate process 

temperature control 

• High effi ciency gas + air modulation, gas only modulation and simple 

high/low control options 

• Heat Input Range: 9 kW – 1550 kW 

TX Series Gas Fired Process Tank Heating Systems 

• High effi ciency (80%+) heating of all types of spray and dip process tanks 

• Compact high effi ciency small diameter immersion tube heat exchangers 

occupying minimum tank space 

• Accurate performance modelling using Lanemark TxCalc design software 

• Heat Input Range: 15 kW (1½") – 1150 kW (8") 

Midco HMA Series Air Replacement or “Make-Up” Air Heating Burners 

• Direct fired, high effi ciency burner systems, for high volume air heating 

applications such as paint spray booths, ovens and dryers. 

• Supplied either as Midco burner heads for OEM system integration or 

as Lanemark DB or FDB complete packaged systems including modulating 

gas valve trains and controls 

• Wide range of firing rates to suit alternative temperature rise and air 

velocity system requirements 

• DbCalc system design software 

Lanemark Combustion Engineering Limited 

Lanemark House, Whitacre Road, Nuneaton, Warwickshire CV11 6BW United Kingdom 

Tel: +44 (0) 24 7635 2000 Fax: +44 (0) 24 7634 1166 E-mail: info@lanemark.com 

www.lanemark.com 

COMBUSTION ENGINEERING 

X4620 Lanemark Ad SDAW.indd 1 31/08/2016 09:04 

VISIT US AT SURFACE WORLD LIVE 2&3 MARCH 2022 • STAND N1

42 SURFACE WORLD 2022 

Surface World 2022 

Surface World Live is returning to the 

NEC, Birmingham. Registration is open, 

and entry is free. The organiser’s are 

look forward to seeing you in 2022! 

The revised dates are due to the 

postponement of the show after the Covid-19 

outbreak. 

Exhibitors 

The exhibition is the UK’s only event 

dedicated to the surface treatment, product 

finishing and coatings industry. It provides a 

major showcase for the very latest technology 

and developments in this important and 

expanding area. 

IMF - Institute of Materials Finishing Visitor 

Lounge 

Acota Ltd 

Adept Pure Water Ltd 

Akzo Nobel Powder Coatings Ltd & 

Cromadex 

Aerofin Laboratories Ltd 

Amber Industries Ltd 

Automated Water & Effluent Ltd 

B&M Longworth Ltd 

Banner Chemicals Ltd 

BGK 

Binks 

Bowker Machinery Ltd 

Brinklake Ltd 

British Heat Treatments 

British Metal Treatments 

Byk Gardner GmbH 

C&S Equipment Ltd 

Carlisle Fluid Technologies 

CC Hydrosonics 

CDR Pumps UK Ltd 

Chemetall Ltd - BASF 

Corrodere 

DeFelsko Corporation 

DeVilbiss 

DFT Instruments 

Ecostrip Ltd 

Elcometer Ltd 

Electron 

Elmbridge Supplies Company UK 

Enva 

EnviroChemie UK Ltd 

Euro-Matic UK Ltd 

Eurotherm S.p.A. 

FAR GB 

Fischer Instrumentation GB 

Fraser Technologies 

FreiLacke UK Ltd 

Galvatek 

Gema Europe SRL - UK Branch 

GMF Equipment 

GTV Blast 

Hadleigh Enterprises Ltd 

HangOn Ltd 

Haviland Limited 

Hendor-pe UK Ltd 

Henkel 

HMG Powder Coatings 

Industrial Physics 

Innova Srl 

Inver UK Ltd 

Jacquet Weston Engineering 

Kluthe UK Ltd 

Kraft Powercon Sweden AB 

Larius Srl 

Lhoist UK 

LSI Energy 

Lubron Water Technologies 

March May Ltd 

Metavate 

Mode Colours 

MS 

Nordson (UK) Ltd 

NSP Coatings Ltd 

Pangborn Ltd 

Phoenix TM Ltd 

Plastratum Ltd 

Plating Line Advice 

PMD UK Ltd 

PPI Adhesive Products Ltd 

Premiere Servicing Ltd 

Prescious Plate Inc. 

Pre Treatment Solutions Ltd 

Pulver Powder Coatings 

Railtechniek Van Herwijnen BV 

Ransburg 

Reys Group 

Sagetech Machinery 

Sames Kremlin 

Schoeller Allibert Ropac Packaging 

Scientific & Medical Products Ltd 

SEA / BSTSA 

Sheffield Hallam University 

Siebec UK Ltd 

Signo Nanocare 

Signature Finish Powder 

Stewart Gill Conveyors Ltd 

Stowlin Ltd 

Straaltechniek UK Limited 

The Masking Shop 

Thermaset Ltd 

Tiger Coatings UK Ltd 

Turbex 

Unic International 

Unitech Washing Systems 

Valspar 

Veolia Water Technologies 

Vera Makina 

Wagner Spraytech UK Ltd 

Washmaster 

Westbury Group 

Wire Mesh Fabrications 


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almertron_quarter page_yb2022.indd 1 15/10/2021 16:25 

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www.muller.ch

44 DRILLS 

Making the mill 

In order to ensure the durability of a steelcasting 

ladle, its refractory lining must be 

regularly replaced. For the founder, this 

primarily means a highly complex, 

dangerous process where the monolithic 

wear lining has to be removed either 

manually, using pneumatic hammers or 

excavators equipped with hydraulic breakers. 

These processes are, however, not only very 

hard to control – meaning more material is 

always removed than necessary – but it also 

results in additional stress for the ladle, 

because it is tilted and thus subjected to 

stress on one side only. In order to provide a 

solution, SIMPEX HYDRAULIK GmbH, a fullrange 

service provider in the areas of 

hydraulics, pneumatics and central 

lubrication technology, has developed an 

automated ladle-milling device. This is simply 

placed on the ladle using a crane. The 

precisely controlled milling head removes 

linings that are melted-on or contaminated 

by slag autonomously and precisely within a 

very short time. In comparison to 

conventional methods, the use of refractory 

concrete in the ladle and the effort and risk 

of injury can all be drastically reduced, while 

improving durability. 

“Usually, ladles are processed either 

manually using pneumatic hammers or with 

excavators equipped with hydraulic 

breakers,” says Peter Feichtinger, Head of 

Business Development at SIMPEX 

HYDRAULIK. “These processes are, however, 

very hard to control – with the result that 

much more material is generally removed 

than actually necessary.” In addition, in the 

conventional method, the ladle is tilted in 

order to remove the worn monolithic lining, 

which means that the permanent brick lining 

underneath the wear lining can be subjected 

to heavy stress at specific points. This uneven 

mechanical stress has a negative effect on 

the ladle’s service life, because the brickwork 

may become cracked and broken. The 

removal of the ladle’s lining, either manually 

or by excavator, is also a relatively dangerous 

and injury-prone job, because the employees 

responsible have to either enter or work 

directly on the tilted ladle itself in order to 


NEW 

DRILLS 45 

carry out the process. With SIMPEX 

HYDRAULIK’s MLC 2011 mobile ladlemilling 

device, currently designed to 

accommodate ladles with a capacity of 

between 80 and 160 tons, this is no longer 

the case. Once positioned at the edge of the 

ladle that requires cleaning, the automated 

carbide milling attachment removes the worn 

lining with extreme precision so that no 

excess material is removed. Because the ladle 

is kept upright, the mechanical stress on the 

permanent lining is kept to a minimum so 

that it can be recoated and used for much 

longer as a result. 

Milling ladles using an 

automated, resource-efficient 

method 

“The automated ladle-milling device is 

made up of three components,” Feichtinger 

explains. “Firstly, a container that houses the 

hydraulics and electronic controls; secondly, 

the actual milling unit itself; and thirdly, a 

shelf for the system to rest on when it is not 

in use.” With the aid of a crane, the MLC 

2011 is positioned at the edge of the ladle 

that requires cleaning and positioned in the 

center via hydraulic cylinders so that the 

relative position of the milling machine to the 

ladle can be precisely determined. In the 

same way as a machine tool, the ladle’s 

specific layout is entered into the control 

system and the thickness of the layer to be 

removed is set to match the degree of wear 

of the lining. This is required for a seamless 

automated process where the carbide milling 

unit is guided along the inside wall of the 

ladle both horizontally and vertically at a 

predefined distance. Thanks to the removal 

process, which has been optimized over the 

past few years, the worn lining is removed 

with a high level of precision. Since only the 

layers of monolithic material that are meltedon 

or contaminated by slag are precisely 

removed in this way, the process is much 

more gentle and efficient with the wear lining 

than removing it either manually or by 

excavator, meaning that only a small amount 

of new refractory concrete has to be applied 

later. 

The precise removal of material ensures 

not only that just the necessary layers of 

wear lining are actually removed but also that 

the ladle is completely “white” and ready for 

relining. “If it turns out that there are still slag 

residues after the automatic process has been 

completed, then another layer can simply be 

removed,” Feichtinger explains. “It’s also 

possible to control the milling unit manually, 

so that individual areas can be processed in a 

targeted way, or to carry out spot repairs in 

pre-worn areas instead of carrying out the 

entire milling process.” Thanks to these 

characteristics, the MLC 2011 drastically 

lowers the consumption of refractory 

material, which reduces procurement and 

disposal cost. Since the process is automated 

and the staff, responsible for configuration 

and manual post-processing, is not required 

to be in the danger zone, fewer employees 

are necessary and those who are involved 

are subjected to a much lower risk of injury. 

Tailored solutions for fluid and 

lubrication technology 

Drawing on its decades of experience in 

the fields of hydraulics and refractory 

technology, SIMPEX HYDRAULIK has been 

able to tailor the highly specific MLC 2011 

automated ladle-milling device precisely to 

the needs of the foundry industry and thus 

make steel manufacturing more efficient and 

safer at the same time. In addition, the 

company can also draw on its extensive 

expertise in the field of pneumatics and 

central lubrication technology. Its specific 

focus is not just on design, its own 

engineering and on product and plant 

construction, but also on installation and 

operation. One other area of expertise 

involves services such as the repair of 

hydraulic components, the maintenance of 

hydraulic power units and the servicing of 

complex systems. Additionally, services such 

as hydraulic hose and fluid management, as 

well as hydraulic accumulator checks, are part 

of SIMPEX HYDRAULIK’s day-to-day work. 

“Almost none of our products are ‘off the 

shelf’,” Feichtinger adds. “Instead, we take a 

close look at the problem and develop a 

customized solution that is tailored precisely 

to the user’s requirements.” 

Oven Temperature Logger 

Measures and records oven 

temperature profiles 

• 6 K-type thermocouple ports 

• High temperature stainless steel barrier box for 

long run times 

• Download, view, and analyze data using PosiSoft Desktop Software 

or export to .CSV 

Prices starting at: 

Oven Temperature 

Logger..........£1895 

Temperature 

Probes............£100 

Wide variety of spring clamp and 

magnetic temperature probes available 

Customizable PDF Reports 


t: 01442 879494 • www.dftinstruments.co.uk • e: sales@dftinstruments.co.uk 

Visit us at Surface World Live • Stand D9 


46 WORKSHOP 

New Interpon Futura 

Collection marries 

beauty, science and 

sustainability 

The painter’s choice 

Acrythane 4G from HMG Paints, is fast becoming the painter’s choice 

for both OEM and refinish work. The Research and Development team 

at HMG have worked alongside its customers to introduce a new 

Thinner that speeds up the application process without compromising 

on finish quality. 

“The major benefit for applicators is the ease of use of Acrythane 

4G” commented Martyn Binnington, HMG paints distribution 

manager. “Our customers are complimenting us on a daily basis about 

how easy Acrythane 4G is to use and produce high quality results, 

especially when compared to competitor products.” 

Launched in 2019, Acrythane 4G is a high solids acrylic polyurethane 

coating developed to meet the stringent requirements of the 

commercial vehicle market. With an optimised balance of early 

hardness, fast cure and long pot life, Acrythane 4G is ideal for OEM, 

repairers and builders within this demanding marketplace. 

Acrythane 4G is available in a number of colours including those in 

the new HMG ColourBase Colour Box. The ColourBase Colour Box 

tool presents over 2400 colour chips, displayed in chromatic order 

within 20 fan decks. The ColourBase Colour Box is a multi-function 

tool, in the sense that not only each colour has a chromatic code that 

identifies its position in the colour sequence, but it also corresponds to 

a colour existing on the market for reference. 

“The unique properties Acrythane 4G provide us easy application, 

fast drying and a superior finish, it’s so nice to use I can just put it on 

and walk away. I love it, the depth of image on jobs is fantastic and 

customers are now specifying it for their whole fleet,” commented Paul 

Rafferty of Rafferty Coachworks. 

Added automation 

Guyson International has recently 

added the Guyson Multiblast 

RXS1400 automated blast system 

to its portfolio of Rotating indeXing 

Spindle systems. Ideally suited for 

the complete surface treatment of 

components that can be blast 

finished or shot-peened whilst 

rotating about one axis. Guyson's 

largest standard indexing system 

can handle components with a 

maximum component size of 400 

mm height x 400 mm diameter 

and a weight of 25 kg. The blast 

system is perfect for medium to 

high volumes of automotive 

transmissions, aerospace and landbased 

turbine components, 

railway, wind and construction 

equipment and substrate materials 

in metal, composite or exotic 

alloys. 

AkzoNobel Powder Coatings has 

launched its much-anticipated 

Interpon Futura Collection for 

2022-2025, revealing three 

brand new, on-trend color 

palettes – Merging World, 

Healing Nature and Soft 

Abstraction – helping designers 

connect to the latest 

developments in the built 

environment. 

The new collection is the result 

of rigorous testing and scientific 

research by AkzoNobel’s trend 

and color specialists across 

multiple industries, and 

particularly those involved in the 

building and construction sector. 

It is also the result of more than 

two decades of evolution, during 

which time the collections have 

inspired innovative designs all 

over the world. 

Launched with the promise to 

‘Futura your world’, the new 

range delivers a superdurable 

performance with a warranty up 

to 25-years, enabling 

architectural creations to stand 

the test of time. With a building’s 

legacy determined by its ability 

to withstand its surroundings, the 

durability provided by Interpon 

powder coatings reflects the 

brand’s proven commitment to 

sustainability and the 

environment. 

As a powder coating, the 

collection uses no solvent 

emissions or volatile organic 

compounds and supports 

AkzoNobel’s broader 

sustainability programme: 

People. Planet. Paint. This has 

seen the company commit to 

eliminating carbon emissions by 

50% in the value chain and 

using 100% renewable energy 

by 2030 as it looks to lead a 

revolution in sustainability. 

Interpon’s architectural range 

was also the first range of 

powder coatings to achieve an 

Environmental Product 

Declaration (EPD). 

Bob Dirks, global segment 

manager architectural, 

AkzoNobel Powder Coatings 

says the Interpon Futura 

Collection has been created with 

the future in mind: “Our new 

collection provides architects with 

world class colors that enable 

them to bring their imagination 

to life. It also provides a 

sustainable choice in powder 

coatings that both protects 

buildings and lowers the 

environmental footprint 

compared to other coating 

solutions. 

“The range demonstrates 

Interpon’s commitment to 

delivering the highest quality 

colors, textures and finishes to 

enable architects to Futura their 

world and ours. That’s why we 

are constantly innovating, while 

collaborating with our Global 

Aesthetic Center to use deep 

insight and scientific research to 

predict future trends and ensure 

you’re always one step ahead.” 

The Interpon D Futura 

Collection is now available from 

stock to customers in Europe, 

Africa, the Middle East, and will 

be launched in North America 

and South East Asia later this 

year. 

In the next issue: 

Pre-treatment 

Test and measurement 


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pexa_quarter page.indd 1 05/11/2020 11:23

Products & Services 


mobile: 07746 373 545 

email: s.freshwater@turretgroup.com • web: www.turretgroup.com 

Leading manufacturers of 

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T: 01283 529314 • E: Sales@Supreme-Eng.com • W: www.supreme-eng.com 

abrasive blast cleaning equipment 

coating applications 

computer systems 

HODGE CLEMCO LTD 

Abrasives 

Blast Rooms 

Blast Cabinets 

Portable Blast Machines 

Paint Spray Equipment 

Abrasive Recovery 

Safety Equipment 

Dust Collection 

Spray Booths 

Servicing 

Training 

Tel: 0114 254 8811 

36 Orgreave Drive, Sheffield, S13 9NR 

www.hodgeclemco.co.uk 

Supplier and manufacturer of 

abrasive blast cleaning and surface 

treatment equipment since 1959 

abrasive blast cleaning equipment 

HEAVY DUTY 

SHOTBLAST MACHINES 

LARGEST UK STOCKS 

NEW MACHINES 

PLATE & SECTION CLEANERS 

TABLE & SPECIFIC MACHINES 

HOOK / HANGER MACHINES 

BARREL & TUMBLER MACHINES 

AIR BLAST ROOMS & CABINETS 

EXTRACTION / DUCTWORK SYSTEMS 

OVER 60 MACHINES IN STOCK 

DOUG BOOTH UK LTD 

(Est 1971) 

SPECIALIST ENGINEERS 

Tel: 01924 274887 

Fax: 01924 262219 

M/C Sales 07850 744377 Txt/WhatsApp 24hr 

Email: paul@dougbooth.co.uk (machines) 

jonny@dougbooth.co.uk (parts & service) 

Website: www.dougbooth.co.uk 

SURPLUS & TRADE IN MACHINES WANTED 

AGENTS/FINDERS REQUIRED 

abrasives 

coatings 

Delivering highly 

engineered, critical 

function products 

and services to 

the commercial, 

industrial, defense 

and energy markets 

n Shot Peening 

n Laser Peening 

n Coating Services 

n Analytical Services 

Please contact us on: 

01635 279621 

www.cwst.co.uk 

Engineered coating solutions: 

● High lubricity/low friction 

● 

● 

● 

Anti-corrosion 

E/M Coating Services 

Resistance to erosion/galling 

Chemical/environmental 

protection 

Do you know what your production 

line is doing? ORPHEUS DOES! 

ORPHEUS... Proven Production 

control software 

Barcode technology provides 

TOTAL ORDER TRACKING and 

TRACEABILITY 

Interested? 

Why not give us a call for a 

demonstration. 

Mark Dimmock 

Acton Gate Systems Ltd, 

Essington, Staffordshire, WV11 2BQ 

01902 249299 actongate 

www.actongate.co.uk • enquiries@actongate.co.uk 

To advertise please call 


on 07746 373 545 or email 

s.freshwater@turretgroup.com 

conveyor systems 

Overhead Conveyors 

& Lifting 

Equipment 

● 

EM/RF shielding 

A business unit of Curtiss-Wright Surface Technologies 

Please contact us on: 

01386 421444 

www.emcoatingsuk.co.uk 

T. 01926 813111 

sales@niko.co.uk 

www.niko.co.uk 

rdm_4x1_FNGCLASS 15/7/14 14:06 Page 1 

complete finishing plant 

(paint or powder coatings) 

abrasives 

boilers 

R.D.M. Engineering Ltd, Est. 1951 

Stakehill Lane, Stakehill, 

Middleton, 

Manchester M24 2RW 

Tel: 0161 643 9333 

Fax: 0161 655 3467 

Web: www.rdmengineering.co.uk 

E-mail: sales@rdmengineering.co.uk 

Contact: Mr R. Horwich 

spraybooths • rooms • ovens • 

conveyors • pretreatment • powder 

plant • air replacement units 

CALDAN Conveyor Ltd. 

Kirkleatham Business Park 

Redcar • TS10 5SH 

Tel. +44 1642 271118 

salesuk@caldan.dk 

www.caldan.dk 

Caldan Conveyor Solutions - 

simply perfect. 

High Carbon Steel Shot and Grit. 

Medium Carbon Steel Shot and Metal 

Bead. Stainless Steel Cr and Cr/Ni. 

High Chrome Grit. 

Aluminium Oxide. 

Full Technical Support. 

Tel: 01952 299777 Fax: 01952 299008 

Email: sales@pometon.co.uk 


Modern Coil Type Steam 

Generators & Fire Tube Boilers 

• 100Kg/h – 25,000Kg/h 

• High efficiency – up to 96% 

• Low overall emissions 

• Improved safety 

• Simplicity of control 

• Quiet, clean & cool in operation 

Tel: 020 8953 7111 

info@babcock-wanson.com 

www.babcock-wanson.com 

To advertise 

please call 


on 07746 373 545 or email 


FM_PSA_2016.indd 1 14/04/16 12.43

for all your classified needs call Stewart Freshwater on: 07746 373 545 

49 

drying racks & spray tables 

effluent treatment plants 

hooks & jigs 

MOBILE DRYING RACKS 

www.neutralac.co.uk 

TENNANTS 

TENNANTS DISTRIBUTION LIMITED 

Polypropylene Tanks 

PVC Tanks 

PVC/GRP Tanks 

Bund Tanks 

Tank Linings 

Rubber Linings 

HDPE Tanks 

Established 1976 

Fume Scrubbers 

Fume extraction 

Pipework 

Ducting 

Repairs & Refurbishment 

Flexible PVC Linings 

Guards in all materials 

One off Fabrications and installation 

Tel: 01543 462 802 

Email: plasbrun.plastics@outlook.com 

Web: www.plasbrunplastics.co.uk 

electrophoretic coatings supplier and applicator 

EXPANDING 

MOBILE DRYING RACKS 

MOBILE 

SPRAY TABLES 

To advertise 

please call 

SPRAY SHOP 

FILTERS 

...PLUS MUCH MORE! 

WWW.SPRAY-SHOP-SUPPLIES.CO.UK 

01920 822 404 


on 07746 373545 or email 


electrophoretic coatings supplier 

MANUFACTURERS AND 

APPLICATORS OF SPECIALIST 

ELECTROPHORETIC COATINGS 

• A TRULY UNIQUE FINISHING SERVICE 

• SIMULATED BRUSHED NICKEL, CHROME AND STAINLESS STEEL 

EFFECTS APPLIED DIRECTLY ONTO BASE METAL SUBSTRATES. 

• BESPOKE COLOURS AND EFFECTS TO CUSTOMER SPECIFICATIONS 

• ALL FINISHES AVAILABLE WITH ANTI-BACTERIAL CAPABILITY 

Hawking Electrotechnology Ltd 

T: +44 (0) 1384 483019 

E: sales@hawking.co.uk • W: www.hawking.co.uk 

electroplaters 

COPPER n CHROME n POLISHING n IRIDITE NCP n GOLD and SILVER 

BRIGHT ACID TIN n MANGANESE PHOSPHATE 

n CHEMI BLACK COLD and HOT n ZINC and CLEAR/COLOUR/BLACK 

NICKEL BRIGHT/DULL n ANODISING CLEAR/COLOUR/BLACK/HARD 

Units 1 & 2, Dawkins Road Industrial Estate, Hamworthy, Poole, Dorset BH15 4JP 

Tel: 01202 677939 

jane@dorsetware.com 

Masking • Hooks • Jigs 

HangOn Ltd 

Leintwardine, Craven Arms, 

Shropshire, SY7 0NB, UK 

Tel. +44 (0) 1547 540 573 

Fax. +44 (0 1547 540 412 

Email. sales@hangon.co.uk 

Web. www.hangon.co.uk 

laquers 

T: 01202 661300 jane@hitekproducts.com 

www.hitekproducts.com 

Hi-Tek stocks not only an extensive range of 

masking products including plugs, tapes, caps and 

discs, but also has the distinction of being the 

European distributor for the US based TOLBER 

range of lacquers and 

associated products. Hi-Tek 

imports bulk supplies from 

Tolber and converts or 

decants into commercially 

usable volumes for the UK, 

and European trade. The 

association with Tolber has 

evolved over many years. 

finishing systems 

jigs & baskets 

• Water wash spraybooths 

• Water treatment chemical additives 

• Paint separation solids removal systems 

• Dry filter spraybooths 

• Fixed or portable spraybooths 

• Sprayroom enclosures 

• Air replacement systems 

• Full installation and commissioning 

• After-sales service and maintenance 

• Spray process engineering 

Product complies fully with current environmental 

protection and health and safety legislation 

Unit 4 Brook Road Industrial Estate, 

Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 2BH 

T: 01202 840900 • F: 01202 889477 

www.dynaclean.co.uk • sales@dynaclean.co.uk 

SALT&SADLERLTD 

• Automotive • Aerospace • Oil & Gas 

• Petrochemical • Defence • Medical 

• Precision Engineering 

Specialist manufacturers in: 

Jigs • Baskets 

Coils • Heaters 

Fasteners • Tanks 

0121 622 3887 

info@saltandsadler.co.uk 

www.saltandsadler.co.uk 

Leading manufacturer of Jigs, 

Racking systems, Baskets, Heaters, 

Coils and many other products for the 

Anodising & Electroplating industry 

www.Supreme-Eng.com 

Tel: 01283 529314 

Fax: 01283 529316 

Sales@Supreme-Eng.com 

January/February 2022 - Finishing

50 for all your classified needs call Stewart Freshwater on: 07746 373 545 

serfilco_5x1_FNGCLASS 18/11/13 

infra red emitters 

masking 

pump & filtration specialists 

t Bruest ATEX-certified 

Flameless Gas 

Catalytic Infrared Heaters 

t Gas-saving industrial ovens 

t “CATBOX” box ovens for 

wood-finishing 

t Servicing, spares & repairs for 

most brands of catalytic heaters 

Unit 1b Brown Lees Road Ind. Est. Forge 

Way, Knypersley, Staffordshire ST8 7DN 

Tel: + 44 (0) 1782 511880 

www.thermocatalytic.com 

thermocatsys@aol.com 

masking 

Hi-Tek Products Ltd 

2A Dawkins Road Industrial Estate 

Hamworthy, Poole, 

Dorset BH15 4JP 

Tel: 01202 661300 

E-mail: jane@hitekproducts.com 

Web Site: www.hitekproducts.com 

Contact: Jane McMullen 

Masking Caps • Tapes/Discs • Tapered 

Plugs • Tubing • Pull-Through Plugs 

• Custom Design • Stopping-Off 

Lacquers • PTFE Lubricant 

nylon colours_3x2_FNGCLASS 17/5/11 16:29 Page 1 

nylon coating powders 

Tel: +44 12 96 43 37 54 

Fax: +44 12 96 39 22 85 

Email: sales@nyloncolours.co.uk 

To advertise please call Stewart Freshwater on 

01923 437615 

NYLON 

A TOUGHER COATING 

Nylon Colours Ltd manufactures 

Nylon Coating Powders for 

Electrostatic or Fluid Bed. 

A wide range of colours including 

metallics is available. 

Nylon Colours is also the UK distributor 

for RILSAN range of Nylon Powders. 

or email s.freshwater@turretgroup.com 

● 

● 

● 

● 

pumps & filters 

SERFILCO 

Pumps, Filters 

and Agitation 

Systems 

TITAN Auto Backwash Filter 

Carbon Purification & Cartridges 

Premier Washed & Pleated Reusable 

Drum and Air Diaphragm Pumps 

● Electric Immersion Heaters 

Tel: 0161 775 1910 

Fax: 0161 775 3696 

SERFILCO delivers 

clear solutions 

E: sales@serfilco-international.com 

www.serfilco.co.uk 

metal plating and polishing 

powder coating manufacturers 

precision cleaning & degreasing 

To advertise 

please call 


on 01923 437615 or email 


The Sherwin-Williams Company 

To advertise 

please call 


on 01923 437615 or email 


rdm_4x1_FNGCLASS 15/7/14 14:06 Page 1 

oven stoving & curing 

pre treatment chemicals 

R.D.M. Engineering Ltd, Est. 1951 

Stakehill Lane, Stakehill, 

Middleton, 

Manchester M24 2RW 

Tel: 0161 643 9333 

Fax: 0161 655 3467 

Web: www.rdmengineering.co.uk 

E-mail: sales@rdmengineering.co.uk 

Contact: Mr R. Horwich 

spraybooths • rooms • ovens • 

conveyors • pretreatment • powder 

plant • air replacement units 


BC METAL FINISHING 

B C 

M F 

METAL FINISHING TREATMENTS 

FINISHING PLANT AND EQUIPMENT 

METAL FINISHING CONSULTANTS 

Contact: Brian Carroll 

Specialist in Phosphate Pretreatment Chemicals 

B C METAL FINISHING SERVICES 

7 RAVENSWOOD DRIVE 

HEATON, BOLTON BL1 5AJ 

Tel: 01204 495818 

brian@bcmetalfinishing.co.uk 

ptr treatment 

Aqueous Cleaners/Degreasers 

Metal Brightening Solutions 

Alkaline and Acid Etches 

Desmuts/Deoxidisers 

Chrome passivates and treatments 

Qualicoat Approved Non-Chrome 

treatments 

Phosphates and Non-phosphate 

treatments 

Pickling Solutions 

Paint Strippers 

Special Formulations 

and Approved Systems 

Supplied with technical support 

and advice 

Tel: + 44 (0) 1978 660 297 

Fax: + 44 (0) 1978 661 104 

E-mail: info@almetron.com 

Web: www.almetron.co.uk 

rectifier equipment 

Switchmode and SCR DC Power Supplies 

for any metal finishing process. 

Options include: 

Local / Remote control. 

Constant Current / Constant Voltage. 

PLC controllable. Touchscreen control. 

Process timer. Ampere hour / minute meter. 

Digital meters. Outputs fully recordable. 

Outputs from 10 Amp x 6 V to 6000 Amp x 200 V. 

Prices available on request 

For more information please contact us on: 

Tel: +44 (0) 121 526 6847 

Fax: +44 (0) 121 568 8161 

e-mail: sales@britishelectrical.co.uk 

Website: www.britishelectrical.co.uk

12:25 Page 1 

for all your classified needs call Stewart Freshwater on: 07746 373 545 

spray booths 

salt spray environmental 

cabinets 

uni-spray_5x2_FNGCLASS 18/1/10 15:22 Page 1 

spray nozzles 

51 

Excellent surfaces 

WAGNER offers a wide range 

of systems and products for 

perfect coating solutions in 

liquid and powder. 

Applying 

Feeding 

Mixing 

Controlling 

Booths & Systems 

Wagner Spraytech (UK) Ltd. 

Tel. 01327 368410 

enquiries@wagner-group.com 

www.wagner-group.com 

UKAS/NADCAP CERTIFIED SALT 

FOR SALT SPRAY TESTING 

Supplied in 5Kg and 25Kg Packs 

To meet the requirements of: 

ASTM B117 • ISO 9227 • DIN 50 021 

and all other standards. 

Full traceability guaranteed. 

SPECIALIST LAB SALT LTD 

Paytoe Lane . Leintwardine . Craven Arms. 

Shropshire . SY7 0NB 

Telephone: 01547 540573 

Email: sales@specialistlabsalt.com 

Website: www.specialistlabsalt.com 

spray nozzles 

tanks & protective linings 

Polypropylene Tanks 

PVC Tanks 

PVC/GRP Tanks 

Bund Tanks 

Tank Linings 

Rubber Linings 

HDPE Tanks 

One off Fabrications and installation 

web design 

Established 1976 

Fume Scrubbers 

Fume extraction 

Pipework 

Ducting 

Repairs & Refurbishment 

Flexible PVC Linings 

Guards in all materials 

The shoemaker’s son 

always goes barefoot. 

It’s the same in many industries, we never get the time to 

look after ourselves. 

We’ve been far too busy creating beautiful websites and 

building successful email campaigns for clients that our 

site relaunch has been pushed back again. 

This is not a complaint though, it’s what we at Reva call 

a nice problem, plus it shows that with us the customer 

indeed does come first. 

If you would like to push our website further down our 

to do list contact us for a chat. 

R 

V 

E 

A 

thermal fluid 

• Up to 50% energy savings 

• Compact size 

• Easy & safe to use 

• Works up to 350°C 

• Low exhaust emissions 

• High efficiency 

• Requires no specialist 

knowledge 

Web Design 

& Development 

Thermal Fluid 

Heating 

Technology now 

for the future 

Tel: 020 8953 7111 

info@babcock-wanson.com 

www.babcock-wanson.com 

water purification 

Water Purification Plant Experts 

Personal & Professional Service at 

Competitive Prices 

• Reverse Osmosis 

Plants 

• Water Softening 

Plants 

• Particulate Filtration 

• Wastewater Recovery 

• De-Ionisers 

• Water Treatment 

Consultancy 

Tel: 01543 462 802 

T: 01622 871 877 

Email: plasbrun.plastics@outlook.com 

Web: www.plasbrunplastics.co.uk 

E: sales@puretechsystems.co.uk 

W: www.puretechsystems.co.uk 

reva_43x2_classified.pdf 1 10/01/2022 14:35 

SPRAY NOZZLE PRODUCTS FOR PRE-TREATMENT 

T. 01932 567505 

chat@reva.co.uk 

• Quick Release Nozzles 

• Quick Release Stand pipe couplers 

• Eductors 

• Air Knives 

• Pipe Supports 

• Complete Pipe Systems 

Tel No. 01273 400092 • Fax No. 01273 401220 

E-mail. info@beteuk.com 

BETE Ltd, PO Box 2748, Lewes, East Sussex, BN8 4HZ 

Editorial 

Calendar 

Each issue of 

Finishing Magazine 

includes the 

following regular 

columns: 

4 News and views 

4 Products 

4 Business and 

technical issues 

4 Personnel changes 

4 Company focuses 

4 Questions & answers 

4 Special reports 

4 Employment 

legislation 

4 Plus monthly special 

features 

MARCH/APRIL: 

n Pre-Treatment 

Chemicals 

n Test and 

Measurement 

Equipment 

n Laboratory 

Equipment 

For Editorial 

enquiries please 

contact: 

John Hatcher, 

EDITOR 

E: j.hatcher@ 

turretgroup.com 

January/February 2022 - Finishing

Poison under control. 

SLOTOLOY ZN „Generation VX“ 

The alkaline zinc-nickel processes SLOTOLOY ZN „Generation VX“ are operated with an anode (special anode VX 1) 

specially adapted to the process and respective additives. Because of this, the formation of breakdown products and cyanide 

on the anode is inhibited. The practical application at customers showed in converted electrolytes that even the cyanide 

content is reduced actively. 

Advantages of the zinc-nickel 

processes „Generation VX” 

· No cost-intensive membrane technology necessary. 

· Improvement of current efficiency and appearance. 

· Simple conversion of existing electrolytes. 

· Low additive consumption. 

· The formation of cyanide is significantly reduced and 

may falls below the detection limit. 

· Since there’s less non-active tetracyanonickelate there’s 

a lower demand of nickel. 

Decrease of the cyanide content after the conversion to 

SLOTOLOY ZN „Generation VX“ 

cyanide content [mg/L] 

500 

400 

300 

200 

100 

0 

0 500 1000 1500 2000 

bath throughput [Ah/L] 

Schloetter Co. Ltd. 

Abbey Works 

New Road, Pershore 

Worcestershire WR10 1BY 

United Kingdom 

T +44 (0)1386 552 331 

info@schloetter.co.uk 

www.schloetter.co.uk

Finishing - January February 2022

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